Fukumen Sentai OniRanger
by SuperOniBlue
Summary: Episode Fourteen - A terrible Smog fills the city, incapacitating the OniRangers. How will they survive?
1. Opening

覆面戦隊

鬼レンジャー

Fukumen Sentai

OniRanger

Over millennia ago, an ancient clan known as the Ningen were faced with the task of protecting their race from the horrible creatures known as Oni. The Oni tribe that stood against the Ningen were dark shamans known as the Kurayami. For years, these opposing tribes fought for the rights to be the dominant creatures of the world – and to send what was left of the defeated tribe into the shadows forever.

Twelve shamans from the Ningen tribe sealed the power of eleven Oni into masks that would grant them the power to fight the Oni, by using there own powers against them. The strongest warriors of the Ningen tribe used the masks to drive the Kurayami back into the shadows. However the battle cost the lives of ten of the warriors. The remaining warrior used the magic of the eleven masks to seal the Kurayami tribe leader, Jigoku no Shitetsu, within a twelfth mask. She sealed the masks, and herself, within a statue to insure that the Oni remain within the Shadows.

During a high school field trip to a local museum, two students find themselves in front of the first Oni to appear in over a thousand years….

Now the masks are free and scattered around the world. It is up to the Ningen warrior and the two students – unknowing descendants of the Ningen tribe, to gather the masks and seal the Oni away once more.

Starring:

Tetsuya Hideo/OniRed

Yamagata Eiji/OniYellow

Sanjo/OniBlue

Izumi Gin/The Caretaker

- Visit SuperOniBlue's DA page for images and links to more images


	2. Episode 1: Creeping Shadows

Hikarienma, the city that was built on top of the forgotten war between Human and Oni. It is a quickly growing city that always has a sunny day. The heart of Hikarienma's success belongs to the Izumi family - and Izumi Isshin. The family owns most of the property around the city, and constantly keeps in looking brand new.

A school bus is seen parking in front of the Hikari Museum - Izumi Isshin's proudest building. Most of the artifacts were discovered by the man himself – some more priceless than even the most beautiful Precious.

The bus opens, and twelve young teens are seen exiting, followed by their teacher.

"Some of you are here voluntarily to help set up for the museum's latest unveiling. Many of you are here as part of detention, to help set up for the museum's latest unveiling.

Once last warning before we enter. Some of these artifacts are worth more than any scholarship the Izumi would provide. Breaking anything hear could send the school to bankruptcy." The teacher gave a stern look. She had an uptight look to her. She wore a bland skirt and blouse. Her eyes were covered by thick black lenses that curled to a point at each end.

"Now go inside and wait for our host. March!" The teacher barked, pointing to the entrance.

The crowd stared blankly at the teacher. The students were evenly separated already, those that had volunteered, and those that were forced to attend. The detention students were already making plans to ditch the crowd. In the center of that group, a boy stood with his arms folded, paying no attention to the group. On the bus, the teacher had taken his boombox – the one thing he had hoped would keep him occupied for the next few hours.

Of those that volunteered to help at the museum stood there with great interest – except for a boy off to the side. He was only there for extra credit. If his history marks got any lower, the school had threatened to kick him off of the soccer team. He did not want to be there any more than the detention kids but he knew he was stuck if he wanted to make captain next semester.

"Good Morning!" Came a voice as a young man in a very expensive looking suit entered the lobby to great the class.

"Not yet, it's not!" The detention boy yelled out, causing the rest of the troubled youths to laugh and earning a rather stern look from the teacher.

The man simply smiled and continued. "My name is Izumi Gin, I'm the caretaker of the Hikari Museum. This week, we will be opening a very special exhibit. Your school has agreed to send some volunteers here to help decorate for the grand opening. That would be you." He motioned his hands to his audience.

"So what's so special about this one that there needs to be a party?" This time it was the soccer player who spoke up.

"Ah." The caretaker exclaimed. He motioned them to follow. "There's still a lot we are trying to figure out about what we've found, but I'm sure you'll like what we have."

Gin stopped at a large tapestry. It bore three images - to the left, the right, and one right above them. "Sometime during the Heian period, there was a group of forest dwelling people known as the Ningen clan. They did not live under Imperial ruling, nor did they recognize any other authority but their own."

Gin motioned towards the first image - a group of men and women in armor, apparently in battle with the image on the right. "Luckily, they stood for maintaining balance in the world. Because of that, they soon found themselves in a war with the ruthless Kurayami clan." Gin pointed to the image on the right. Dark and twisted images of people who looked more like monster than man, fighting the image on the left. "They were ruled by a bloodthirsty man who wanted to blacken the sky."

"The two tribes fought for years over who owned the right to rule over the forest. They more or less killed each other off until eleven of the Ningen's strongest warriors defeated the Kurayami leader." Gin pointed to the top image, showing eleven people in white, all wearing a different colored mask. In the center of them was the shadowy image that represented the Kurayami lord.

"And well, that's about all we hear about them. We cannot find any other record of the Ningen clan or the Kurayami clan in Japan's history. They eventually just...went extinct." Gin gazed back at the group.

"Now, enjoy the museum." Gin turned and walked off without another word.

_

"Ah Mou!" The leader of the detention kids moaned as he rested his weight on the mop he held. The detention kids were put on mop duty and the boy was left to clean the main exhibit's floor. "What a crappy way to spend a Saturday"

"Well that's what you get." The soccer player replied. The volunteers were to decorate the museum for Monday's opening of the exhibit. He stood upon a long ladder, hanging gold streamers around the entrance. "Maybe if you didn't pull that stunt in school you'd be out causing trouble somewhere else."

"Oi, I didn't have anything to do with that, jock-boy!" The boy retorted with anger.

"Yeah, I'm sure. And it's not Jock-Boy; it is Tetsuya, Tetsuya Hideo." Tetsuya sighed as he climbed down the ladder. "Everyone at school says it was you, you know. You have a reputation" As the soccer boy turned around, he was startled to see the other boy grab his shirt and pull him close.

"They don't know a damn thing about what happened, and I'll be damned if I let some stupid thing as a reputation get in the way of Yamagata Eiji." Eiji glared at Tetsuya as if he were about to strike. But Hideo was faster. Grabbing Eiji's wrist he yanked the boy free and pushed him back. Eiji fell to the ground.

"You should watch who you're trying to pick fights with, Yamagata." Tetsuya rolled his eyes and walked off to grab more streamers from the box beside them.

Eiji sat there for a moment before finally standing up. "Tch. Forget this." The boy turned around and headed for the large wooden doors. He pushed, then pulled, but the door wouldn't open. 'H-hey!" He yelled, shaking the doors hard. "They got us locked in here."

"Relax, they probably just don't want anybody else touching this stuff." Tetsuya looked around the room. There were several tools, old armor, and of course the large tapestry. However his attention turned to the statue on the far wall. Even though the room's lights were on, there were several lights hanging around the statue, keeping it bathed in a bright glow.

The statue was large, round, and had what looked like twelve fossilized masks. He had to admit, they looked pretty cool. But why all the lights? Even the window above it would be enough to make it eye catching. Tetsuya looked up at the window, only to see that it was pitch black outside. "It's not night already is it?" Tetsuya looked at his watch. "We haven't been here that long"

The room shook violently, causing many of the artifacts to fall from their tables, smashing. Eiji covered his head and watched. "I didn't do that either, I am not getting the blame for that."

The lights in the room shut off, leaving only the emergency lights and the lights around the statue on. Eiji ran closer to the large statue. Standing in the glow of the lamps, Hideo and Eiji looked around for what they both thought they just heard. Something was in their

"Kukuku, I've finally found you!" A voice echoed in the room. A black cloud rose up from the shadows. As the cloud faded, revealed a woman in black robes, with wild blonde hair. Her face was white, with black lines running along her face in an intricate pattern, The woman would be called human were it not for the two large horns on her forehead. A closer look would show that her face looked more like a mask than real.

Tetsuya and Eiji jumed back as the woman walked through the shadows. She was carrying a black and gold paper umbrella in her hand, which she unfolded as she approached the large statue. She seemed to be completely ignoring the two boys beside her. "My lord…" She muttered, standing just outside the lights reach.

"H-Hey!" Tetsuya called out. "Get away from that!" He did not know why he spoke those words, and was immediately regretting it as the woman looked his way. He saw her eyes, deep and black – not like real eyes at all.

The woman sniffed the air. "Ningen Clan?" She hissed under her breath. "Still around after all these years?"

"Ningen?" Eiji repeated. "No, no, no, it's Yamagata! Ya-ma-GA-ta! You got the wrong guy!" The boy took another step behind Tetsuya.

The strange woman turned back to the statue. Her eyes flashed bright green for only a second. The lamps exploded, one at a time until the statue was left in darkness. "It only takes one second of darkness to-"The woman reached for the top of the statue, pulling one of the masks from its stone prison. The woman laughed as she looked back at the two boys.

"Tah." Was all she said before sinking back into the black cloud, slipping back into the shadows. At the same time, about a dozen more clouds rose up. As the clouds slipped away, twelve creatures stood infront of the boys.

The creatures had no real shape, but looked more like shadows that had risen up from the ground, each taking on a humanoid shape.

Tetsuya and Eiji assumed a fighting stance. They took a moment to glance at each other, surprised that they had both thought of the same thing. "Maybe you do know me a little." Eiji smirked.

_

"I think we're winning!" Eiji yelled, swinging a fossilized dagger around at the shapeless shadows that now were attacking them. So far, they had avoided getting killed by arming themselves with whatever they could find in the small room.

"No, we most certainly are not!" Hideo retorted, having armed himself with two swords. Whenever he slashed at one of the shadows, they did stop moving. However any slash would simply turn once shadow monster into two.

The two teens were slowly being cornered by the increasing army of shadows. Even Eiji knew that this could well be the end. They walked backwards – getting pushed towards the large statue, holding the useless weapons in their hands. Eiji closed his eyes as he embraced oblivion. However instead he was met by a warm glow on the back of his neck. Not daring to open his eyes, a large blast from behind him nearly knocked him off his feet. Opening his eyes, he watched as a new figure seemed to float passed them.

From head to toe the newcomer was draped in long white robes. The person's face was covered by an oddly shaped blue masked pressed against the robes, so only the eyes were visible. The person swung a long blue staff, slicing through the monsters with the gold, circular blade on top of it. The monsters faded into the shadows as they were sliced in half.

"Who is that?" Hideo asked, mostly to himself. He looked back at the statue. A large hole had appeared in its center, where another one of the masks had rested. This was all very confusing.

"He's saving our lives, who cares!" Eiji said. "Get them…whoever you are!"

The blue masked warrior kept slashing at the large army, who were now backing off. For some reason, her weapon was affective against the creatures. "Oni Chant!" The figure yelled. Eiji and Hideo were both surprised to hear a woman's voice. "Akaruimahou!" The woman swung her staff forward. The four silver rings that hung from the golden blade began to glow brightly, shooting a beam of light into the sky. The monsters backed away as the light grew brighter, trying hard to stay in the shadows.

The remaining monsters began to group together. There shapeless bodies began to merge into one large being. This form was no longer shapeless, but resembled a cross between an ogre and a lion. Its face was covered by a white mask, with only two small holes for eyes, and two long horns. With a mighty roar, it sent out a shock wave, knocking the three humans back. It seemed unaffected by the ball of light that now floated in place above them

"We've come for the masks." The creature said with a soft growl. "It is time for the Oni to rise again.

The woman stood up, looking back at the two boys. "They will have to do" She said to herself quietly. Raising her staff again, she pointed at the statue. "If you want them, go and find them." The rings on her staff began to glow once more. "Oni Chant, Musakuiyusou!" The statue began to shine brightly, before shattering into several sections, each disappearing one at a time.

"Oh, you are going to pay for that, Ningen!" The lion-creature charged.

_

He didn't know why, but Hideo ran towards the lion, holding both swords high. A red light swam around him as he slashed at the monster. The swords shattered, but the demon was sent staggering back. The boy looked up, amazed by what just happened.

Eiji was speechless at what he just saw. "W-well, I guess we have a fighting chance after all!" He said with a smirk. He looked down at the useless weapon in his hand. He tossed it aside. "Its either this or die." The boy ran towards the lion monster, unaware of the aura of yellow that floated around him. With some stylish moves, he kicked and punched at the monster. The blows packed more of a punch than he had thought it would, pushing the monster back even farther.

"I-impossible! More Ningen?" The lion stammered.

"Ningen? I don't know what that is, other than the literal meaning." Hideo exclaimed. "I just don't want you killing the girl that saved my life."

"And I don't want to spend an endless detention trapped with a smelly cat!" Eiji added.

"The masks are gone, Kurayami - I've sent them randomly around the world, there is no way you'll be able to find them. However, it seems two have found their way back already." The woman spoke, standing between the two boys.

She looked to her left and right. "To their Ningen Warriors."

The boys looked down as the same glow that sent the statue away began to glow in their hands. A red mask and a yellow mask floated in front of them.

"Take them." She whispered "It is your right."

The boys looked at each other, unsure.

"Oh..." Eiji muttered. "What the hell." The two boys grabbed the masks and put them towards their faces.

"Ningen Chant." The woman cried. "Oni Release!"

All three masks began to glow - brighter than the ball of light that floated in the air.

When the light faded, Three new figures stood, each wearing a different colored tunic with a gold face staring back at the lion. Over black helmets, the three masks rested.

The three warriors stood, staring at the monster. The only source of light was floating above them, created by the woman's magic. Hideo and Eiji, stared down at the gloves that had appeared over their hands.

"There is no time to explain. Just follow my lead." The woman in blue looked to her left and right at the two boys before dashing towards the lion monster. "YuraYura Kanabou!" The blue girl yelled as she swung her club, striking the monster hard in the torso. "Toguyura!" Sparks began to fly as the club began to spin, grinding the gold spikes across the monsters torso.

Hideo and Eiji followed, striking their spinning clubs across the monsters chest. The monster flew back onto the ground.

"Y-you little bitch!" The lion stammered as it tried to get up.

"I'm afraid this is where it ends, Kurayami." The girl's mask lit up for a moment as her blue staff appeared in her hands once more. "Ningen Chant. Kanpu Mahou!" Oni blue swung her staff upwards, sending a wave of blue energy across the ground.

Just as the monster regained its bearings, it was struck by the blue wave. The monster fell to its knee, most of its body had returned to a shadowy state. "I am not finished." He roared as the shadows wrapped around him. The monster sunk back into the ground, fleeing for now.

Light filled the windows once more and the power returned. The three stood in the main exhibit room as it had before the monsters appeared. Everything looked normal, except the large statue was still missing.

The woman reached for her mask. The masked dissolved into a blue light, taking the rest of the suit with her. The light spun around into the palm of her hand, reforming as a round black case, lined with gold. On the face, it had the same emblem as their belt buckle, a little Oni face engraved in gold. The device looked old and damaged.

The boys copied the girl's actions, removing the red and yellow masks from their black 'helmets'. Like the woman's mask, theirs dissolved - along with their outfits, into small black boxes, each as rusty and damaged as hers.

The two looked over to the woman, and were quite surprised by what they saw.

She once again wore the long, white robes. However this time, she was not wearing her mask.

Hideo had thought she'd be more of an...adult, but the girl was their age - a high school girl. She looked tired, and sad.

"Well, well, well. This is a problem." said a voice. The door had finally opened up and it was opened by Izumi Gin. He stood there, arms folded.

"Sir, I can explain." Hideo spoke up, but was cut off by Gin.

"I think you three better come this way, before your teacher finds you. She's really kind of annoying." He said with a smirk.

Gin lead the three to an elevator. Inserting a key into the wall, the doors opened up. "Going down?" He asked

The four crammed inside and Gin pressed a small red button. "Way down." He answered his own question with a grin.

The awkward silence as they descended was broken by Eiji. "Okay...will someone please tell me what the hell is going on?"

"Oh, not much." Gin replied. " The return of demons long forgotten and a looming threat of a war between good and evil. The usual stuff."

The doors opened up, revealing a large, circular room. In the center, was a large tree trunk, connecting to the one in the lobby.

"And you three have to stop them, using those three masks and the masks she sent off to God-knows-where. He pointed to the girl. "Isn't that right? Ningen no Sanjo?" He asked as they reached the center of the room.

Sanjo looked up at the boy in shock. "Okay." She said. "What do you know?"

Gin smirked. "Its the end of the world, and its time for the Ningen warriors to rise up once again as the Fukumen Sentai OniRanger!" Gin exclaimed, with what was almost joy.

"Ehhhh?" Eiji groaned.

-Fin


	3. Episode 2: Blood Brothers

"And now, for the real story." Gin said as the four gathered around the large tree trunk. "Of the Ningen and the Kurayami."

"Real story? So what you told us when we arrived was false?" Hideo asked, with his arms folded. The situation was already confusing enough without lies added ontop of everything.

"Not much of a history exhibit if the story is fake." Eiji added as he leaned against the tree.

"Well, the story is pretty much the same, actually. Gin said, scratching his nose. "There was a war between the two tribes. But the Kurayami wern't just a group of evil warriors - they were Oni."

"Oni?" Hideo said, scoffing. "You mean blue-skinned, with little horns and large wooden clubs?

"No, these demons were much more powerful. Brought to life from animal spirits tainted in shadows, these monsters were on the verge of taking over before the Ningen began to resist them.

Gin looked over to Sanjo, who remained silent this whole time. "The masks were created using the same magic that created the Oni, because only their magic was strong enough to defeat one."

"In the final battle, the masks were used to seal away the Oni Lord, forcing the Oni to retreat into the shadows for all this time."

"How long?" Sanjo finally spoke up.

"Oh..well.." Gin thought about it We're guessing about a thousand years now...

Sanjo looked suprised, but said nothing as she lowered her head again.

"So, why are we here?" Hideo asked.

"Well, obviously the Kurayami have risen again." Gin stated bluntly. "The masks have called on the nearest Ningen decedents to fight again. It seems that means you."

There was a silent pause for a few minutes.

"Pass." Eiji said, pushing himself away from the tree. "I'm going to see if the coast is clear, then I'm going home."

"H-Hey!" Gin stammered as he watched Eiji head for the door.

"Yeah, sorry. This is to weird for me." Hideo added, following Eiji. "This wasn't how I planned on passing History."

"B-but you guys got to save the world!" He yelled out to them as they waited for the elevator to close.

"No, let them go." Sanjo said, untying the large sash around her waist. "I don't want their help."

Gin turned around to look as Sanjo, who was removing the white robes, revealing a blue kimono underneath. "Y-you're not serious too?" He exclaimed.

"I need the help of true Ningen warriors, not blood that has been diluted over a thousand years."

Gin sighed as he moved to an old oak table, sitting down. "This wasn't how I pictured it..." He said, looking at the three black boxed that rested on the table. They were the containers that Sanjo and the other Ningen warriors used a thousand years ago hold the power of the masks. Now they were old and rusted. Gin had planned to repair all three, but now...

_

Eiji and Hideo had escaped the museum rather easily. The rest of the class had left already and Hideo knew he was going to be yelled at on Monday. However, that wasn't much of a concern at the moment. "Maybe we shouldn't have left those two." He said, mostly to himself.

"That girl can take care of herself. She saved our lives easily enough." Eiji said, stretching his arms. "I have more important stuff to do anyway. So long, Soccer-san." Eiji half saluted Hideo as he ran off in another direction.

"What, you don't think saving the world is cool enough?" Hideo said, folliwing him.

"I told you already, you don't know me!" Eiji snapped, jumping down from the overpass they were now crossing.

Hideo looked over the edge, watching as Eiji got comfortable on the roof of a truck. "Say hi to the Oni for me!"

_

"So how did you know so much about this?" Sanjo asked, as he watched Gin tinker away at one of the black boxes.

"My father found most of this stuff a year ago. I've been studying it all this time." Gin said simply. "I put the pieces together, and did all I could to keep the masks safe. There were all sorts of security measures in place to keep those masks from getting taken. But I guess it wasn't enough." Gin looked up at Sanjo. "I don't know any magic, sorry."

Sanjo smiled a little and shook her head. "It is my fault they are gone. I could have used the masks against that Oni, instead they are at risk of being taken by them."

"Except another already got to the statue and stole the Oni Lord's mask already." Gin had heard the story of what happened from Hideo and Eiji. First a mysterious woman appears and steals one mask, then the lion monster appears to kill the Ningen warriors. It didn't make much sense.

"I will just have to make due with these three masks, until I can locate the others."

"One girl, three masks, and an army of shadows in your path...Good Luck." Gin leaned back, away from his work. "There's always Plan A."

"Those two?" Sanjo asked. "No, I don't need anyone to help me fix my mistake."

"So that's why you were sealed away? To fight alone when the monsters rose again?"

_

Hideo wandered around town - half thinking about what had transpired and half looking for Eiji. The more he thought about it, the more he knew that he had to go back and at least hear Gin's plan.

Hideo's deep thinking was starting to get drowned out by loud - annoying hip-hop music. The more he walked, the louder the music got, until he finally heard a familiar voice.

"That's it! Good!" Hideo heard Eiji yell out over the music. Turning a corner, the boy watched Eiji as he danced ontop of a large piece of cardboard. Laying beside him was a large, old school beat-box machine.

Several children were standing around, watching the boy as he moved around the board. His dance partner was another one of the children, a girl no more than ten years old. She was dancing equally well as Eiji. The music finally stopped and the children moved in closer. Eiji and the girl congratulated each other with a high five.

"That was so cool Eiji, can you teach me that too?" One boy exclaimed.  
>Morning<br>"No me, I'm next!" Another cried out.

Eiji laughed, folding his arms. He looked over to Hideo, who was now watching with amusement.

_

"I'm just saying, the masks chose them to fight. You might as well convince them to help." Gin said, standing up. It was starting to get late now. "I have a spare room you can sleep in. I"ll have some new clothes for you in the morning." Gin handed Sanjo the three cases. "You're going to like 2011. There's a lot of cool stuff and great places to eat. The people aren't so bad either."

With a smile, Gin headed for the elevator. "I'll be back in a bit. There's snacks in the pantry."

_

"I told you, I'm not doing it." Eiji said. The two boys were standing in the street, alone. It was night time now and the children had all left.

"I don't think it's a good idea either, but you saw what that monster was like. Maybe we should be helping - if its our blood right." Hideo leaned against the wall. They were at the end of an older street in the city.

"Tch. Don' get me started on blood." Eiji moaned, getting angry again. This time he got right up close to Hideo again. "I don't believe in any of this Ningen crap." He pointed to one of the larger houses on the street. "That's where I grew up, along with a dozen other orphan kids. If I were some hero's decedent I wouldn't have lived like that.

Hideo looked over at the building. Through a window, he saw many of the kids that had been outside, watching as the ten year old girl copied the moves Eiji had danced with her a little while ago. Hideo understood.

"Oh, how touching" Came an evil sounding voice. From the shadows, another large group of shapeless shadow monsters rose up, followed by the Lion Monster from before. "But if you don't want the responsibility, I will gladly rid you of it."

Eiji and Hideo took a step back, raising their fists to attack. Hideo knew that it was pointless, without the masks, they wouldn't be able to hurt the Oni.

But before Hideo could react, Eiji was already running towards the monster. "Get away from here!" He yelled, swinging at the lion like he had in the museum. The monster grabbed the boys fist and lifted him from the ground. "Not so strong without a Fukumen, huh?" He chuckled.

A blue flash of energy struck the demon in the side, sending a wave of sparks flying. The monster dropped Eiji as it stumbled back. "Who-?"

Eiji, Hideo, and the monster all looked to see who attacked. Sanjo jumped down from a roof, landing next to the boys.

"You too?" Eiji moaned..

"Sanjo." Hideo said. "I'm beginning to rethink Gin's offer."

"As am I" Sanjo replied, looking at the boy. She pulled out one of the black cases. It looked as good as new, with a gleaming red gem on the top. "I may need some help."

"I guess I have no choice but to respect my older relative's wishes." Hideo smirked, grabbing the device.

Eiji looked up, as if having an epiphany. He looked over to see both the other two staring at him.

"You know I guess that makes us related too." Hideo said. "Why does that amuse me?"

Eiji rolled his eyes, reaching out. "Fine." He sighed as Sanjo handed him the other case, one with a yellow gem.

The thee took a step forward. "Ningen Chant! Oni Release!" The three called out in unison. A bright flash enveloped them, clading them in black. Red, Blue, and Yellow tunics appeared, each bearing a gold face. Gloves and boots of the same color appeared the same time as their gold belts. Finally, their heads were covered by black helmets. Outlines of their masks flashed in their hands as they attached the masks to their helmets.

The light faded, and the Fukumen Sentai OniRanger stood ready.

"Time for round two then." OniRed said, removing the club from his side. "YaraYara Kanabou!" He called out as all three swung at the shadowy monsters that attacked.

"Toguyura" The three cried out as their clubs began to spin, grinding through the shadow monsters.

Soon, only the Lion monster remained.

"We're not letting you get away this time, Kurayami." Sanjo exclaimed. She twirled her Kanabou around as it spun. The spikes lit up with blue energy as they spun. "ToguToguYura" She called, swinging hard at the monster, sending him flying up into the air.

Eiji and Hideo jumped, following the monster as he began to fall back to the ground. Both of their clubs also lit up with their respective colors, smashing the demon in unison. The monster flew back up, roaring in pain. A large crack appeared in its mask a moment before it exploded in the sky.

By now, the children from before had all gathered outside. They watched as the three OniRangers regroup.

"I guess that's that then." Hideo said, folding his arms.

Eiji was silent. He glanced back at the kids. From inside his mask, he grinned as they stared at them with amazement.

_

"So, are you in?" Gin asked Hideo and Eiji. The OniRangers had regrouped back at the mansion following the attack.

Hideo nodded. "The world is in trouble, I cant ignore that no matter how hard I try...apparently."

Eiji folded his arms, not saying anything.

Sanjo took a step forward. "Eiji, that Kurayami was nothing compared to what we are going to face. Once that woman figures out how to use the Oni Lords mask, there will be no telling what's going to happen..."

"Yeah, yeah!" Eiji moaned, trying to shut Sanjo up. "That monster came really close to the people I care about. I'm not letting them do that again."

"Then it's settled!" Gin yelled with joy. "Go home and get some sleep, OniRangers! We have a lot to do tomorrow!"

-Fin


	4. Episode 3: Instinct

Footsteps echoed though a long, dark corridor. A woman in black robes slowly made her way down the hallway, towards a set of large, metal doors. The woman's face was covered by a white mask with a black, intricate design that wrapped around two large blue eyes and two long white horns.

In her hand, she held the black and red mask that she had acquired a few days prior from the Hikari Museum. She carried it close to her chest, guarding it with her heart - if she had one.

The large metal doors opened, revealing a large, circular room. The room was lined with rows of stone pews, all positioned to face a large, empty throne. The pews were filled with a few dozen creatures. Most of them were the same shadowy figures that she had sent upon the two children who had made it passed her magic barrier. The remaining two figures also wore black robes, and masks similar to the woman's - but each with their own unique design.

"It took you long enough, Kibala" The tallest said, with a hiss. His mask had yellow eyes, with green lines going down the masks - as if they were tears. He moved closer to the woman, extending a gloved hand. "Give it here."

Kibala took a step back. "It is not your place to touch Our Lord with such filthy hands, Ohjah." She scoffed, walking passed Ohjah as he hissed.

"Enough, Ohjah." The remaining figure said. His mask had three green eyes, with a gold line connecting them together - like a triangle. "She brought us the mask, but did you bring us our sacrifice?"

Ohjah looked back at _, before returning his attention back on the third figure. "Yes." He hissed. "I've been keeping him here for quite some time. A little older than I had wanted him to be -"

"Very well." The unnamed figure cut Ohjah off. "Prepare him for the ceremony. There is still one more piece we need." The figure turned his head to a group of the shadowy foot soldiers. "Go now - as you were ordered."

The dozens of monsters swirled together, like one large dust cloud. The cloud spun through the large metal doors, and out of sight.

The three young heroes stood in a large, empty construction lot. Hideo and Eiji stood, transformed by the ancient masks they wore on their helmets. Sanjo stood in front of them, arms folded.

She now wore a modern outfit, a pair of tight jeans, a blue t-shirt, and a grey vest. She was not used to wearing such clothes. "If you two are going to fight using the masks, then you have to learn how to use them." She said, with a demanding tone in her voice. "So far, you've been lucky enough not to get yourself killed. The last Oni we fought was nothing compared to what we could face next."  
>"Hey, I thought we did okay!" Eiji said. "Transform, swing our clubs, no big deal."<p>

"If that was all the masks were capable of, I wouldn't have been guarding them for all this time." Sanjo stated, pushing Eiji's helmet with her finger before walking across the lot.

She took her place next to Gin, who was wearing a baseball uniform. By his feet was a large metal bucket of baseballs. Each was colored either red or yellow.

"So...what does that have to do with baseball?" Hideo asked.

His question was answered by a loud crack as Gin smashed a red ball with his bat. The ball spun towards Hideo, who had to duck to avoid it. "H-Hey!" He yelled.

"Sorry!" Gin yelled back. "We don't have any real monsters to shoot at you." He grinned as he picked up a yellow ball.

"You need to learn to focus and use your masks properly in battle." Sanjo said. "Once you've mastered that, you can use the masks's abilities to summon your weapons." A blue glow swirled around Sanjo's hand as her staff appeared out of this air. "Like this."

"We kicked an Oni's butt. I don't think a baseball will be much threat. Eiji said with a laugh. His smug attitude was cut off when Gin launched a yellow ball. The ball smashed against Eiji's helmet, knocking him to his feet.

"I've put a spell on Gin's club. Any thing he swings at will be more than enough to keep you distracted.

"Uh, Sanjo. It's a bat. A bat, not a club." Gin muttered into Sanjo's ear. He had been spending the past few days trying to familiarize Sanjo with modern day life. So far, it was proving to be difficult.

"Let's get started!" Gin called out.

For an entire hour, Gin launched ball after ball at the OniRangers. Each time that he did, his enchanted baseball bat launched a ball towards Hideo or Eiji. They tried their best to dodge and weave around the red and yellow balls that zoomed passed them, but they only got faster – and hurt more and more each time the boys were hit.

"This isn't a speed exercise!" Sanjo yelled. "Focus!" Sanjo swung her staff. As she did so, its four silver rings lit up.

The dozens of balls that were scattered around the lot floated up into the air for a moment. Eiji and Hideo watched them carefully.

"Oh, this can't be good." Eiji mumbled.

The balls magically launched themselves towards them all at once.  
>Hideo's mask flashed as he reached for his club. "YuraYura Kanabou!" He commanded. With a surprising burst of speed, he swung the club with precision aim, striking every ball that Sanjo had attacked them with. The baseballs were demolished on contact, sending rubber flying in every direction.<p>

"Woah!" Gin exclaimed.

Eiji lowered his arms from the attack and stared at Hideo. "Show-off."

"The Red Fukumen grants its wearer amazing accuracy and precision." Sanjo explained."Eiji, you need to relax more. The masks will rely on your instincts. Don't spend time covering your head."

"Tch." Eiji scoffed as he reached for the yellow mask on his helmet. He pulled the mask away as it dissolved into a yellow light, along with the rest of his OniRanger attire.

Hideo shook his head and pulled his mask off as well. He was about to say something supporting to Eiji, but the sound of explosions in the distance had distracted everyone. "What was that?" He asked, turning to Sanjo.

Sanjo watched as smoke climbed into the air. "I can sense Oni Magic. They are making their next move – let's go."

In a large business area of the city, hundreds of lawyers, pencil pushers, doctors, and other pedestrians, all ran for their lives. Shadowy figures were chasing the people through the streets, creating a panic.

Hideo, Eiji, and Sanjo arrived in time to see a Kurayami Oni walking up a set of stairs, towards one of the large buildings in the area. The monster looked like the Oni that Hideo remembered reading about – only this one had many characteristics of a Praying Mantis.

"Kurayami!" Sanjo called out. "Stay where you are."

The mantis monster looked back at the three. The creature sniffed the air. "Ah, Ningen clan." The monster spoke, with a high voice. "I was wondering if it was true. Ningen no Sanjo is still around after all these years."

Sanjo said nothing as she gave a cold glare at the monster. She turned to the others, pulling out the black device that would transform the group. Gin had repaired them at Sanjo's request. He had been talking about upgrading them – with the possibility of adding something he called a 'cell phone'.

""It is time." Sanjo said as Hideo and Eji removed their black devices as well.

"Ningen Chant!" The three spoke in unison. "Oni Change!"  
>In a flash of red, yellow, and blue, The Ningen warriors were transformed. Their clothes were replaced with tight, black armor. Tunics in their respective colors formed over their black suits, each bearing a menacing, golden face. Black helmets formed over their heads, followed by the three masks of Red, Blue, and Yellow.<p>

"Let's go." Sanjo said, grabbing her club; "YuraYura Kanabou." The three called out, charging towards the monster.

"Hmph." The monster snorted. "Attack, Kagedorōn!" He yelled, pointing at the OniRanger.

The shadowy monsters swirled around the rangers, cutting them off from the monster. The rangers attacked, smashing through the shadows as they tried to make their way to the monster.

"I don't get it." OniRed said as he knocked one of the drones back. "I thought these things couldn't go into the light!"

OniBlue pushed hard against a shadow with her club. The club was spinning, grinding against the monster, sending it flying into oncoming shadows. "The Kurayami are growing stronger. Something has changed."

"Oh great. Like we didn't have enough problems on our hands." Eiji complained as he smashed a Kagedorōn with the base of his club, which was soon followed by a hard spin kick at the monsters head.

"Use the power of the Fukumen." Sanjo ordered. Her mask flashed bright blue. "Mystic Staff!" She called out as her blue weapon appeared in her hands. "Ningen Chant. Nami Mahō" Sanjo swing the staff upwards, sending a wave of blue energy along the ground, cutting through several of the shadowy monsters.

"Right." Hideo replied. His mask flashed bright red as a slender sword appeared in his hand. "Skilled Sword!" He called out as he ran through the group of monsters. His movements were almost like a blur as he cut through five of the monsters with the same precision as he had with the baseballs. "Ningen Chant. Kanpekina Odori

"My turn!" Eiji called out as his mask flashed bright yellow. A large metal club appeared in his hands. Spikes likned the top and the bottom of the club, which was almost as large as Eiji. "Strong Ha-uoah!" Eiji could not keep the club in the air, nearly losing his balance as the weapon smashed into the ground, creating a small crater.

"Woah, woah." Eiji snapped, tugging at the handle of his hammer. "What the hell!" Eiji's efforts were cut short as two of the monsters slashed OniYellow's back, knocking him to the ground.

"Eiji!" OniRed yelled, slashing through the remaining few monsters away with his sword. He ran towards Eiji, crouching down to check his condition.

OniBlue looked back at the steps. The Mantins Monster had ran off.  
>"Damn!" Eiji muttered as OniRed helped him up. Oni Yellow ripped the mask off his helmet, which dissolved back into his OniChanger along with his yellow attire. "What's the point of having a hammer that I can't even pick up!" He protested.<p>

"I told you," Sanjo explained sharply. "You need to let your instincts take over. You are still just trying to show off." Sanjo removed her mask. "Hideo. We're going to look for the Kurayami. Eiji…go back to the museum."

"Ehh?" Eiji moaned. "I'm not hurt, I can still –"

"If you can't use your Fukumen power then you are no use in battle. Go back until you get it right!" Sanjo yelled, before storming off.

Hideo sighed as he pulled off his mask."Go on, Eiji." He said as the red light faded back into his Changer. "Before she ends up swinging at us next."  
>-<p>

Eiji wandered the halls of the museum, paying no attention to the small groups that walked by. "Stupid Sanjo." He muttered as he stuck his hands in his pocket. He stopped his steady pace as he dug through each of his pockets, over and over. To his dissatisfaction, Eiji had forgotten his headphones. "Great. Now I have to go down there." He signed, walking towards the elevator.

Within minutes, Eiji stepped out the elevator again, entering the large circular room that was now their "Base." Gin had redecorated since the first time they arrived. There were a few couches now, placed alongside the walls. In the center, four computer terminals were placed around the large tree trunk that extended up through the ceiling. The rest of the tree was floors above. Eiji did not know if it was real or not, but in was positioned under a large skylight.

"Oi, Caretaker!" Eiji called out. The room was empty. He wandered around the room until he found what he was looking for, his pair of large, yellow headphones. He was just about to turn his music on, when he heard a large crash coming from a small tunnel opposite the elevator doors.

The boy ran, dropping his headphones back on the couch. Moving down the small hallway, Eiji entered a smaller room. This room was cluttered with large computers and many artifacts similar to the ones on display upstairs. There was also a large cloud of dirt and dust floating in the air, as if something had fallen.

"Gin?" Eiji called out, coughing through the dust.

"Over here!" Gin called out. "Help!"

Gin has pinned under a very large statue. The statue looked like it was once a mighty Oni monster. It was large and looked very heavy. It had fallen in such a way that Gin was face to face with the monster. The monsters large arms had Gin pinned under the statue, pushing its weight down on the caretaker's chest.

Eiji crouched down, and pulled on the statue. The large stone figure was intent on laying there. "How the hell did you end up under there?"

"I was examining the gem on this monster's head." Gin grunted, looking at the large red gemstone that made up the monster's only eye. "It wouldn't budge. I just kept pulling and pulling until…" Gin tried to push the monster off of his lungs one more time. "I must have pulled to hard."

Eiji pushed and pulled the statue as hard as he could. The stone warrior would not budge. "I guess I have no choice then." Eiji said as he removed his OniChanger from his pocket.

Hideo and Sanjo regrouped after splitting up to find the monster. They stood on a small bridge above a long river. By now, the sun was starting to set.

"Still no sign of that bug. Whatever the Oni was looking for, he must have found it." Hideo said as he leaned against the rail. "Don't you have something up your sleeve that can track him down?"

Sanjo shook her head. "It must have slipped back to their world. My tracking spell won't pick them up unless they step out of the shadows." Sanjo lifted her hand, revealing a small ball of pale blue light. "Once I finish putting these along the city, we will be able to catch it the moment it enters our world."

As if on cue, three circular blades of energy were launched at the two Ningen. Hideo pushed Sanjo out of the way, narrowly missing the attack as it sliced through the railings.

The two stood back up. Downstream, they could see the Mantis Kurayami preparing another attack.

To Be Continued in Episode 4 – "Swing, Batter!"


	5. Episode 4: Swing, Batter

Sanjo and Hideo stood face to face with the Mantis Kurayami. Behind them the bridge they had just been standing on collapsed, destroyed by the monster's green energy blades. Had they not noticed the attack in time, they would have been killed for certain. However it seemed that they might be so lucky next time.

Surrounding the Mantis were several Kagedorōn – shadowy, humanoid grunts with barely any features. They were the mindless Oni grunts that made up the gross of the Kurayami clan. Those that were strong enough would eventually devour the rest of its group, becoming strong enough to evolve into a true Kurayami Oni – such as the Mantis Kurayami that led them now.

The Mantis was a green figure. It had a head similar in shape to a Praying Mantis. It had large, frightening yellow eyes that glared at the Ningen warriors. Its humanoid mouth was guarded by four, pink pincer like fangs. Its long arms ended at its waist, where they attached to two large silver scythes. The monster had an extended abdomen, where its six insect legs folded into two humanoid. From head to toe the monster looked like a threat to the Ningen warriors. And with night falling, the shadows would only get stronger.

"Ningen." The Mantis said in a high, raspy voice. "You escaped my Kagedorōn, but now I've come to finish you off."

"What were you doing in the city, Oni." Hideo asked. He had taken a defensive stance alongside Sanjo, waiting for the Mantis to launch his next attack.

"Heh. I'd tell you, but I don't see the point. After all, you won't be around much longer to do anything about it." The Mantis swung his blade-like arms in the air. Each swing sent two circular blades of green energy at Sanjo and Hideo.

Moving in synch, the two warriors jumped out of the blades paths, where they spun off back into the sky. Tumbling back, they revealed two round devices. They were black, palmed sized, with a solid gold stripe surrounding a gemstone –one red and one blue. The OniChangers.

The warriors stood up and held the devices close to their faces. "Ningen Chant. " They exclaimed as the bottoms of the OniChangers slid open, revealing two small masks. "Oni Change!"

In a flash of red, and blue, The Ningen warriors were transformed. Their clothes were replaced with tight, black armor. Tunics in their respective colors formed over their black suits, each bearing a menacing, golden face. Black helmets formed over their heads, followed by the three masks of red and blue.

"Kagedorōn, go!" The mantis hissed, pointed his blade-like hand at the OniRangers.

"You take care of them," Hideo said, now OniRed, as the shadow drones began to approach. "I'll take care of the bug."

"Be careful," OniBlue replied. "And remember your Fukumen powers."

Sanjo ran towards the Kagedorōn. "Mystic Staff," Sanjo commanded. As she did so, her mask flashed bright blue. At the same time, a long blue staff appeared in her hands in a flash of the same blue light. At the end of the staff was a large, gold, circular blade. From the blade hung four, smaller, silver blades.

OniRed nodded and ran towards the Kurayami. "We sure could use Eiji right about now." He thought quietly to himself.

Under the museum Eiji was dealing with his own troubles. After failing to figure out his Fukumen power, Sanjo sent Eiji back until he could figure it out for himself. However not long after he arrived he was surprised to find Izumi Gin, caretaker of the museum and the OniRanger respectively, trapped under a large statue.

The statue looked like it was once a mighty Oni monster. It was large and looked very heavy, and had fallen in such a way that Gin was face to face with the monster. The monsters large arms had Gin pinned under the statue, pushing its weight down on the caretaker's chest.

"I'll have you out of there in no time, Gin." Eiji said as his OniChanger flipped open. "Ningen Chant, Oni Change!" In a familiar flash of yellow light, Eiji was transformed into OniYellow. "I'll just have to smash you out." He said as he reached for the club that hung from his belt.

"No, don't!" Gin exclaimed in-between gasps of air. "This thing is a priceless Ningen artifact!" The look on Gin's face showed he seemed to care more about losing money than the lack of air in his lungs.

"Yeah, well this artifact is crushing you to death!" OniYellow complained. "Ah Mou! Hang on." He sighed as he placed his hands on the shoulder of the statue. "It can't be that heav-"

As OniYellow tried to pull up the statue, he could hear his own spine pop. Eiji let out a yelp as he grabbed his back."Damn, that's heavy. Kind of like..." Eiji thought back to his last fight. When he attempted to pick up his "Strong Hammer" he could not lift it. It was just as heavy, if not more.

"Eiji!" Gin wheezed "Do something! I can't breathe!" Gin was turning a very unnatural shade of purple as he tried to gasp what little air he could. Eiji watched, trying to come up with a solution.

"Ningen Chant, Nami Mahō!" OniBlue called out as she swung her staff upwards. A wave of blue magic shot across the ground, striking several Kagedorōn. The monsters were enveloped by the blue wave, clearing out more than half of the remaining shadow monsters that surrounded her. Three more closed in on her, striking her in the back and front with their shadowy claws.

This stunned OniBlue only for a moment. In a clean swing, she struck the monster in front of her with her Mystic Staff, cutting it in the chest with the circular blade. Without missing a beat, she swung around, cutting through the two monsters behind her with another swing. The three fell to the ground, evaporating into a shadowy mist around her.

OniRed was holding his own against the Mantis Kurayami. With his Skilled Sword he was able to match every swing of the monster's scythe like blade-arms.

"Try this!" The demon hissed as he swung his arms four times, sending green blades of energy at OniRed. The Ningen warrior stood there for a moment, watching the blades get closer.

"Sorry." He said as his mask flashed red. OniRed stepped around the blades with ease, moving closer to the Mantis as he easily spun around each attack. "Ningen Chant!" He said as he jumped behind the monster. "Kanpekina Odori!" OniRed swung his sword across the Mantis monster's back, leaving a red aura in its wake. The force from the attack was enough to send the monster flying forward.

More Kagedorōn surrounded the Mantis as it struggled to stand up. "Curse you and your cheap tricks!" The Kurayami hissed. "But we have our tricks to. Go!" The Mantis monster pointed at the OniRangers as the Kagedorōn ran towards them. However this time the drones began to melt into a thick, shadowy wave that wrapped itself around the two OniRangers. The shadows tightened around the Rangers, turning into a solid cocoon, leaving only their heads exposed.

"That was easier than I thought!" The Mantis laughed as he approached the OniRanger. "Now I can take your Fukumen as well."

Hideo and Sanjo could only watch as the monster's blade-arm inched closer and closer towards their faces.

Then, from the corner of his eye, Hideo saw a yellow blur speed towards the back of the monsters head. The Mantis lurched forward, yelping in pain."What the hell was that?" It roared, turning to see the source of the ambush. By his feet, a yellow baseball rolled past.

"Home Run!" Yelled a voice above. Standing on top of the hill, Gin rested the enchanted baseball bat on his shoulder. "And with the bases loaded, too." He was once again.

"Gin, get out of here." Hideo called out. "You can't take him on!" OniRed and OniBlue both struggled to free themselves from the shadow cocoon, only causing them to fall over.

"Don't worry, I'm not." Gin smiled. "He is."

Stepping into view, Eiji appeared. "Typical. You guys are totally useless without me." He mocked with a smile on his face. Reaching into his pocket, Eiji grabbed his OniChanger and jumped down from the hill. "Oni Change!" He cried out in mid-air, landing in front of the Mantis as OniYellow.

"Eiji, you fool!" Sanjo yelled. "You are no match against him without your Fukumen power!"

"Yeah, yeah!" OniYellow replied, dismissing Sanjo's warning with a wave of his hand. "Says the one who is on the ground." Eiji turned to face his comrades, who lay at his feet. "Now shut up while I save you."

"Hah!" The Mantis laughed. "Do you really thing you are going to do better than these two? Don't be ridiculous." The Mantis swung its blade at Oni Yellow, like a guillotine aimed at his head.

"Yeah." OniYellow said, grabbing the monster's blade right before it hit his head. "I do." OniYellow's mask flashed brightly as he swung his open palm forward; pushing the Kurayami with a force so strong that it rippled the air around them. The monster crash landed in the river, skidding across the ground. The impact left a crater trail in its wake.

"See?" Eiji asked the monster. "Didn't I tell you?"

"Eiji!" The other two OniRanger exclaimed."You figured out your Fukumen Power – how?" Sanjo asked.

"Eh?" Eiji grunted, turning to look at Sanjo. "Oh, right. That part was easy enough..."

OniYellow still tried to move the statue off of Gin. It was starting to look hopeless. But Eiji didn't stop trying to get the statue off of Gin. By now the caretaker had passed out, and Eiji knew he was out of time.

Eiji released his grip from the statue and took a few steps back. "Sanjo's right." He said. "I'm useless as an OniRanger. I can't even lift a statue." Eiji thought back to the group of young kids he danced with on the street. He could imagine them being taken away by the Kurayami, and he knew there was nothing he could do about it if it happened.

He clenched his gloved fists tight and looked back down at Gin. "No." He said out loud. "I'm not letting the Kurayami win, and there's no way in hell I'm letting a piece of rock beat me!" OniYellow grabbed the statue again. "Hold on, Caretaker!" Eiji pulled with all his might. He pulled for what seemed like minutes in his head.

Finally, a cracking sound could be heard as the statue began to budge. At the same time Eiji's mask began to flash a yellow light. With a loud grunt, Eiji began to lift the statue higher and higher. It was not long before OniYellow was holding the statue clear over his head, by its shoulders. "Woah..." Was all Eiji could muster up. It took him a few seconds to remember that Gin was still on the unconscious on the floor. "Gin!" Eiji exclaimed as he set the statue back on the ground.

"Then I performed CPR and we headed straight here." OniYellow explained.

"Good thing you bugged this part of the city, Sanjo." Gin added. "We would never have found you!"

"You did all that?" Hideo asked, with doubt in his voice.

"He did!" Sanjo exclaimed. "The Yellow Mask's power is strength! It projects the wearer's inner strength into physical power."

"And now I'll show you just how strong I really am." Eiji said, extending his arm in front of him. His mask began to flash again as his palm light up. A large, club like weapon appeared in Eiji's hand. "Strong Hammer!"

"Hah, just another dumb club?" The Mantis monster said as it stood back up. What's the difference between that one and the ones on your belt? I'll just slice right through it!"

The Mantis Kurayami jumped at Eiji, swinging its blade arms towards the yellow warrior. Eiji grabbed the handle of his hammer with both hands and swung it towards the demon's attack. The blades shattered like cheap glass as the Strong Hammer made contact with the Mantis monster.

"Ningen Chant, Soudai Fu**n**sai" Eiji said as he swung again. As he did so his hammer began to glow bright yellow. Once the hammer made contact with the Mantis Kurayami, the yellow aura was launched from the hammer, pushing the monster back even harder. Broken and beaten, the monster landed in the bridge rubble.

"Amazing..." Hideo muttered, watching Eiji's display. "He defeated the Kurayami."

"I know." Eiji said as he approached his comrades. "Now, to shatter this thing." OniYellow raised his club above the shadow cocoon. However, before he had a chance to swing, the shadows released their grip from OniRed and OniBlue

"I'm afraid it is not over yet." Sanjo said as the two stood up. They watched as the shadows slithered towards the Mantis Kurayami, who was climbing out of the rubble

"I'm not through yet." The monster hissed as the shadows began to crawl around his body. More shadows began to swim around him as more and more as the monster began to grow.

"What's going on?" Eiji asked.

"A Kurayami's last effort." Sanjo answered. "It is using the Kagedorōn to grow bigger."

"How much bigger?" Hideo asked.

"Very." Replied Sanjo as the monster suddenly sprouted upwards.

Taller than most of the buildings in the city, the Mantis Kurayami let out a might roar."Let me see you try and crush me now, Ningen bugs!"

"So what do we do now, Sanjo?" OniRed asked.

"The Kurayami can grow, and using their magic so can we," OniBlue glanced at OniYellow. "Now that you've both figured out your Fukumen Powers."

The three stood in a straight line, with Hideo in the middle. To his left was Eiji and Sanjo was to his right.

"Now, focus and repeat after me." Sanjo said, reaching for her mask. "Oni Dai Henge!"

Watching OniBlue, the other two also reached for their masks and repeated the words. "Oni Dai Henge"

Their masks began to glow as the three rangers were enveloped by lights of their respective colors. Jumping into the air, the three balls of light flew towards the giant monster. The lights began to grow as they crashed back into the ground. As the lights faded, three new figures stood.

Standing as tall as the monster, three Titans of red, blue, and yellow stood above the city. Their heads just barely towered over the large skyscrapers.

"What is this?" Hideo asked, looking down at his large, silver hands. He had transformed into a fiery demon, with a large gold mask hanging from the top of his head, revealing a silver, humanoid face.

"The true power of the Fukumen –transforming us into Oni Titans." Sanjo replied, her agile, blue form turning to face the others. "We cannot maintain this form for long, so we must end this quickly."

"Got it." Hideo and Eiji said in unison as the three scattered.

The giant Mantis Kurayami charged at OniYellow's bulky yellow titan, extending its blade-like arms. "Let's see how strong you are now!"

The Red and Blue Titan's grabbed the Mantis by the arms, keeping the blades away from their comrade. Clenching his large fist, the Yellow Titan swung his arm at the monster, upper-cutting the monster right in the jaw. The monster was flown back, skimming buildings as he fell back onto the streets below.

"Now!" Hideo said as the three stood side by side. Each of them extended their arms as their gold masks slid over their metallic faces. "Kage Gekitai!" From the center of the Titan's respective chests, balls of light began to form. Following the path their arms lead, the beams were fired towards the Kurayami, converging into a single beam right before it struck the beast.

The monster stumbled for a moment, reaching out for the Titans. "D-Damn you, Ningen Clan!" It gasped as the monster fell to the ground, exploding into a shadowy puff of smoke.

The three titans stood over the rubble, lifting their golden masks from their faces.

"And that is that." Sanjo said, satisfied.

As the sun began to rise, Hideo and Eiji watched as Sanjo used her magic to restore the small bridge. They had returned to their civilian clothes, ready to take a break.

"It looks like the Kurayami aren't much of a threat after all." Hideo said as he stretched out along the grass. He had been laying for a while now, completely exhausted.

"Yeah, now we have Titan Form!" Eiji exclaimed as he attempted to untangle his headphones.

"Don't get over confident." Sanjo said as she restored the final piece of the bridge with a wave of blue magic. "They know we are getting stronger, and it won't be long before they overpower us. We still need to track down the other Fukumen."

"Don't worry guys." Gin said, still toying with the enchanted bat. "I have the archeologist blood in my veins. If there is a treasure to hunt, Izumi Gin will find it!"

Sanjo grabbed the bat from Gin's hand and smiled. "Then let's start the adventure."

-FIN


	6. Episode 5: Unseen

In was a cool autumn morning in Hikarienma. Despite the recent monster attack, life continued as usual. The business district was in full swing as men and women moved through the busy street, heading to their various jobs. Across town, children make their way towards school. Some walk, others take the bus, some even bike through the crisp morning air. Life moved on as usual.

However, hidden within the shadows, shapeless creatures watched from the darkest corners of the city. Moving in unison, more than a dozen the monsters slipped out from the shadows. It didn't take long for the peaceful day to change into a mad panic.

Thankfully, there was a force capable of fighting the monsters. Three warriors, members of an ancient and forgotten tribe – the Ningen, have accepted their destiny to fight the shadowy creatures, as well as their leaders – the Kurayami.

The Kurayami are ruthless Oni creatures. Blended from animal spirits tainted by the dark Oni magic, these creatures terrorised the land for years, until the Ningen clan finally sent them back into the shadows.

Now, over a thousand years later, the three remaining Ningen clan appear in the business district of the city, watching as the shadowy monsters attack. They were the Fukumen Sentai OniRanger.

"Oi, Uglies!" Eiji called out from across the street. They shadowy monsters paused what they were doing to look over at the three people standing before them. To Eiji's left stood Hideo. He let out a yawn, as if only half interested in what was going on. To his left stood Sanjo, who glared at the monsters with a look of hate.

"It is time to see if your training has paid off." Sanjo said to her companions as she removed her OniChanger from her pocket. 

"Ningen Chant!" The three called out. "Oni Change!"

In a flash of red, yellow, and blue, The Ningen warriors were transformed. Their clothes were replaced with tight, black armor. Tunics in their respective colors formed over their black suits, each bearing a menacing, golden face. Black helmets formed over their heads, followed by the three masks of red, yellow and blue.

"Skilled Warrior, OniRed!" Hideo said, crossing his arms.

"Strong Barbarian, OniYellow!" Eiji said, stretching his limbs for battle.

"Mystic Shaman, OniBlue!" Sanjo finished, swooping her arms in an almost hypnotic fashion.

"Fukumen Sentai." The three a bried moment, the faces on their tunics flashed gold. "Oni Ranger!"

"Let's do this quick and easy." Said OniRed as the group reached for their side-arms. "YuraYura Kanabou!"

The three OniRangers ran down the street, swinging their clubs at the shadowy monsters. The OniRanger were easily outnumbered, three-to-one at least. However, while the OniRangers were lacking in numbers, their powers of Skill, Will, and Strength, they more than compensated in a battle against an army of grunt soldiers.

The group split up in three separate directions. OniBlue took the left side, clubbing the monsters that moved within her path. Her name was Ningen no Sanjo, a warrior from the distant past. Freed from the same statue that held the mighty Ningen Fukumen, it is her sworn duty to destroy the Kurayami at all cost.

"Toguyura!" OniBlue cried out. The spikes on her kanabou began to spin wildly as she struck down several of the shadow monsters, smashing them into clouds of dark smoke.

OniYellow took the right side, dancing his way around the monsters with moves only a dancer like Yamagata Eiji would know. He twirled his kanabou wildly as he struck down the monsters that were stalled with confusion by the boys strange dance moves. "And to finish, ToguToguyura!" Like OniBlue's weapon, the spikes on OniYellows weapon began to spin widly. However this time a bright yellow aura enveloped the club. Eiji swung his club straight down, smashing it into the ground. As the spikes grinded into the pavement, the aura spread out with a powerful force, knocking back several of the shadows that surrounded him.

In the center, stood OniRed, calmly striking any of the monsters that got close with his kanabou. He was Tetsuya Hideo, captain of the Hikari Highschool soccer team; Hideo knows how to take command when the pressure is on. Hideo thought it was foolish, but Sanjo made him the leader of the group during field attacks such as these.

"Skilled Sword," OniRed called out. His weapon appeared in a flash of red light,. In his left hand, he held a small red sword – in his right hand he held the kanabou. "Ningen Chant, Kanpekina Odori" OniRed commanded as his mask flashed red for an instant. With a small burst of speed that made the warrior blur as he moved, OniRed moved around the monsters with grace, slicing the monsters down until they were nothing more than a shadowy haze.

It wasn't long before the creatures were demolished. Their shapeless remains slipped back into the shadows, to tend to their wounds.

"Well, that went easier than anticipated." Hideo said as he removed the red mask that covered his black helmet. The mask, along with the rest of OniRed's uniform, dissolved into red light, spinning back into a small black casing, his OniChanger.

"Indeed." Sanjo said as she and Eiji mimicked Hideo's actions, returning to their civilian forms in a soft glow of blue and yellow."The Kagedorōn came in a large group. There was more than enough for them to become a Kurayami Oni."

"Exactly," Hideo said, folding his arms. From what he learned fighting the Lion Kurayami, these demons were created from several Kagedorōn merging into one monster. While he never got to see the Mantis Kurayami's creation he had assumed that it was created the same way. "They were moving on their own, without a leader."

The three stood in silent thought for a moment. The silence was soon broken by an annoying beeping noise coming from Hideo's pocket. Startled by the sudden noise, Hideo reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. "Ah, crap." He exclaimed. "We're already late for school. Let's go, Yamagata." Hideo sighed as he put his phone away. "If I get detention I won't be able to go to practice tonight."

Hideo ran off, not really noticing if Eiji followed him or not. Sanjo and Eiji stood there, still in silence as their companion ran off. "Sorry, Sanjo," Eiji sighed. "But I'm going too. Ciao!" With a smirk, Eiji slipped on his headphones and reached into his bag, pulling out his skateboard. With a small salute to Sanjo, he rolled off after Hideo.

"But-but." Sanjo said, stranded by the two boys.

Meanwhile, deep within the shadows, the defeated shadows slipped into a dark world-a Shadow Realm ruled by the Kurayami. Blending in with the rest of the shapeless, dark fog that filled the air, the creatures circled around the only structure in the realm. It was a large castle, made up of black stone, cut almost like marble. Several more Kagedorōn guarded the castle doors, while the rest sat around aimlessly.

Three cloaked figured entered the main chamber of the castle – the Throne Room. Several more Kagedorōn sat in the stadium-like stone seats that circled the room, watching as their masters worked.

"Your plan failed, Ohjah." The female figure spoke. The woman's face was covered by a white mask with a black, intricate design that wrapped around two large blue eyes and two long white horns. Her figure was obscured by the black cloak she wore. "Now we must delay the ceremony even further!"

"Please, Kibala" The tallest one hissed in annoyance. His mask had yellow eyes, with green lines going down the masks - as if they were tears and what looked like the remains of two shattered horns. "My plan was perfect. You just underestimated what those Ningen brats were capable of! Your Kagedorōn were just not cut out for the attack!"

"Enough!"The final, cloaked figure spoke. His mask had three green eyes, with a gold line connecting them together - like a triangle. On top of his mask, a long horn protruded out like a blade. "There were many mistakes made. This cannot happen again. Without that final piece, we cannot restore out master." The masked figured all turned to face the throne. Resting in the chair was a black and red mask staring back at them.

"I sent out my own Kagedorōn squad to distract the OniRanger. While they fought, I sent a Kurayami to search for the artifact we need."

"That annoying priestess placed spells around their city. It won't be long before it is found out." Kibala said, gracefully moving towards the throne.

"Not this time, I'm afraid." The three-eyed figure spoke with a chuckle. "This one has a unique ability that should keep it hidden– even from Ningen magic."

Hideo sat in a locker room, unlacing his white soccer cleats. He had narrowly escaped detention, which allowed him to attend soccer practice. It had been an exhausting event for Hideo. He hadn't realised how much the past few battles as an OniRanger effected him physically. Soccer practice never caused him to ache as much in his life.

Following his teammates out of the locker room, Hideo was met by a stern looking man by the door. He wore a jacket depicting the school colors, blue and silver, and wore a baseball cap with the word "coach" written in large, bold letters. "Tetsuya!" The coach yelled at Hideo. "You've been missing practice a lot lately. What's your excuse?"

Hideo, completely caught off guard by his coach's sudden interrogation, stammered to come up with an excuse. He very much doubted that the man would believe a story about monsters from the shadows.

"There's a game tomorrow. You better pick up the slack if you still want to be captain of this team." Coach continued. "I don't want to have to remove my star player from the team!"

The young soccer player watched as coach stormed back down the hallway. Hideo stood there, already deep in thought. His concentration was broken when he heard the familiar ring of his cell phone.

"Hideo? Hello?" Sanjo's voice bellowed through Hideo's phone, causing him to jump. The girl was new to the concept of telephones. Gin was slowly acclimatising the girl to modern day technology with minimum success.

"Come back to the museum!" Sanjo yelled again. "Bring Eiji, I have news!" Before Hideo could get a word in, Sanjo hung up on him. With a sigh Hideo adjusted his grip on his soccer bag, and ran off to find Eiji.

After a bus ride and a quick jog, the two boys made it back to the museum. Walking past the large tree in the lobby they reached Gin's secret elevator. The elevator took them down into the lowest level of the museum. When the doors to the elevator opened, the boys joined Sanjo and Gin as they sat in front of the many computers that Gin had set up in the room.

"We've worked out what that Kurayami are looking for." Gin said.

"Hello to you as well." Eiji said as he dropped his bookbag on one of the sofas.

"Hello." Gin said, passively. "Look at this." The caretaker pointed to the screen, showing a map of the city. "The Oni attacked here, in this district."

"What's so important about that?" Hideo asked, staring at the screen.

"My family owns that district." Gin said, pushing himself away from the computer. "There's a warehouse there that is supposed pieces going to the museum. It hasn't been used in years, ever since they expanded the building."

"It's the only place in the area that would show any interest to the Kurayami. If there is anything left there, that is what they are after." Sanjo said, standing up from They've seen the Ningen relics here. If they found out about the warehouse then they might have thought something was there."

"It's worth a look." Hideo said. "Let's go."

A loud beeping noise went off inside the pockets of the three Ningen. Sanjo pulled out her OniChanger. The blue gem embedded in the device was flashing. "It's my tracking spell. It has picked up Kurayami movement."

"Can you tell where it is?" Hideo asked.

"Yes." Sanjo said. With a wave of her hand, a blue light enveloped one of the computer monitors. The light pulled the image of the city map out of the screen, expanding it over the ceiling. "There, by the park, a group of Kagedorōn." Sanjo looked back at Hideo and Eiji. "There is no sign of a Kurayami Oni, just like last time."

The blue light faded, along with the map. "Eiji and I will take care of them. Hideo, go with Gin to the warehouse."

"Why me?" Hideo asked, annoyed. He was tired enough already.

"Because there might be some heavy lifting." Gin said as he slapped Hideo on the back. "And someone needs to save me if anything shows up."

"Fine." Hideo sighed. He turned to his teammates. He didn't like the idea of leaving them to fight by without him. "If things get out of hand, call me."

Night had fallen by the time Hideo and Gin to reach the business district of the city. Hideo recalled fighting the Mantis Kurayami only a few feet from where they were walking.

They arrived at the warehouse with no interruption from the Kagedorōn. The building was poor shape, having been unused for some time. To Gin's satisfaction, the building's door was securely locked. Removing a large set of keys, the caretaker removed the several padlocks that hung from the door.

The two entered the warehouse. It was pitch black, with only the echo of their footsteps to tell them the building was empty. Gin pulled out a small flashlight. The tiny beam of light penetrated the darkness, confirming that the building was vacant.

"There's got to be something here that they were after." Gin said, "Let's find the power switch"

"Don't you think the Kurayami would have come back here if they knew about the place?" Hideo asked Gin. "I mean we stopped them from getting here before, but nothing is keeping them from coming back."

"Maybe they figured out it was empty." Gin replied. As if in command, the large door shut behind them.

The lights above them flickered on with a soft hum. Hideo and Gin ran back to the door, pushing hard against it. "It's locked." Hideo muttered, slamming his hand hard against the door.

"It's a trap?" Gin asked, looking around the warehouse. "Fantastic."

Hideo pulled his cellphone out of his pocket."No signal." He said as he read the screen. "Naturally."

"Naturally." Said another voice. Hideo and Eiji turned around to face – nothing. A sudden, unseen force pushed the two back, slamming them into the door behind them. In front of them, a creature faded into view. It was big, green, and resembled a chameleon. Its mouth was covered by the cracked remains of a white mask, exposing two, bulbous, yellow eyes. They eyes spun around in opposite directions before focusing on Hideo and Gin. "Now tell me, where have you hidden it?"

To be continued in "Hideo's Goal"


	7. Episode 6: Hideo's Goal

Hideo and Gin sat there, looking up at the Chameleon Kurayami. Its large yellow eyes spun around in several directions before focusing on the two. "Well?" It asked. "I said 'where is it?'!"

Hideo looked to Gin. The caretaker was frozen in panic. He was never this close to a Kurayami before and this was not a good way to start. Looking back at the monster, Hideo quickly rolled to the left, pulling out his OniChanger. "Ningen Chant, OniChange!" He called out quickly, in a flash of red light he transformed into OniRed.

"Oh look, I got myself a Ningen." The Chameleon snarled. "Let's see what you've got, Red"

Without hesitation, Hideo jumped at the monster, swinging his YuraYura Kanabou as hard as he could. The monster jumped back, laughing proudly. Through a hole in the broken remains of its mask, the creature's long, pink tongue slithered out. The tongue extended, moving faster than Hideo could react. It whipped Hideo in the chest, sending sparks flying as he was pushed back onto the ground.

"Silly, Red, you know you it take more than just one of you to fight me!"

"Enough, you!" came another, raspy voice. A cloaked figure faded into view from a shadowy corner of the warehouse. The figure was tall, draped in a long black cloak, and wore a white mask over what would be its face. His mask had yellow eyes, with green lines going down the masks - as if they were tears. "I grow impatient with this!"

"M-Master Ohjah, sir!" The Chameleon Kurayami whimpered, frightened by the other figures presence. "I-I was just interrogating this Ningen I found. I think he knows where 'it' is."

Ohjah looked over to OniRed. The warrior was standing up, holding his chest. "Who are you," He asked. "Another Kurayami?"

Ohjah let out a hiss similar to a laugh. "Excellent, it's one of Ningen no Sanjo's pets." Ohjah turned his attention back to his subordinate. "Join his friends at the park. I want the full set."

"B-But I was told-"

"I am doing the telling here!" Ohjah yelled. "Now go!"

"Yes, Master." The Chameleon hissed. Its eyes spun around as it faded out of sight, blending in to its surroundings.

"And as for you two." Ohjah hissed. "It has been far too long since I've had any fun."

Meanwhile, in the park, Sanjo and Eiji were dealing with their own situation. They had arrived to the park by nightfall, only to find six Kagedorōn terrorizing the area. This was an easy enough job for OniBlue and OniYellow. However it seemed even easier than usual as the monsters quickly went down after a few blows from the OniRanger's kanabou weapons.

"This makes no sense." OniBlue said as she watched the remains of the monsters slip into the shadows of the trees. "All of those attacks but not a single Kurayami commanding them. By now we should have at least seen a metamorphosis."

"Well maybe they don't have any more to spare. They are a dying race, aren't they?" OniYellow asked, resting his Kanabou against his shoulder.

"Perhaps..." OniBlue replied, "We should join the others, and see if they have found anything."

As the words left OniBlue's mouth, she was struck across the chest by an unseen force, knocking her back in a shower of sparks.

"Sanjo!" Eiji yelled out before he too was struck, falling to the ground next to his companion.

"I-I don't understand. I cannot sense Oni Magic." OniBlue stammered as she tried to stand up. Her arms shot up as she felt something wrap itself tightly around her neck. Letting out a gasp for air, she was lifted off of the ground. Below her, the Chameleion Kurayami faded into view. His long, pink tongue held Sanjo in the air, letting her struggle for air.

"I have you." The Kurayami taunted, his voice muffled while his tongue was in use. The monster twirled his head around, spinning OniBlue around like a toy.

"Oh no you don't!" Eiji called out. He was back on his feet again, holding his chest where the monster struck him. He extended his free hand. As he did so, his mask began to light up. "Strong Hammer!" He yelled as a large weapon appeared in his hands. The hammer resembled the clubs depicted in old drawings on Oni demons. It was grey, with yellow around the top and the bottom of the hammer. On the yellow parts were several small, white spikes.

"Nuh-uh!" The Kurayami mocked as he swung his head down again, sending Sanjo flying towards Eiji. Unable to swing and with not enough time to dodge, OniBlue smashed into OniYellow hard, letting her now unconscious body fall on top of him.

Eiji carefully pushed Sanjo aside and stood up, gripping his hammer tightly. "You lost your shield!" He said as he swung his hammer down. "Ningen Chant, Gekido Shindou!" He called out as he smashed the hammer into the ground. A wave of dirt and rubble erupted towards the Chameleon, burying it under the debris.

OniYellow ran to his companion who was sprawled, motionless on the ground. "Sanjo!" He called out as he shook OniBlue's shoulder, tying to wake her up.

After several silent seconds OniBlue finally stirred. She stood up, coughing for a breath of air. "I-I am okay." She said in a hoarse voice.

As OniYellow helped his friend to her feet, the Chameleon Kurayami let out a roar from underneath the rubble. The dirt and debris that covered the demon flew up into the air. The monster was standing; its green flesh was now a filthy brown from the soil. "Let's see you do that to something you can't see!"

The monsters eyes spun around again as his body faded once again. However the dirt and mud that covered the monster still remained.

"Whoops." Eiji said, laughing at the monster. "Looks like you've got a stain!"

The monster reappeared, roaring in anger. "Fine! I'll just have to do this the old fashion way!" The lizard ran towards the OniRangers, prepared to face them head on.

OniRed was caught in a fierce swordfight against the Kurayami known as Ohjah. He was wielding a scimitar like weapon, with a green handle that seemed to wrap itself around Ojah's cloaked arm. The masked figure was quickly gaining the upper hand against OniRed. The warrior was doing his best to block the oni's blows.

Hideo's Skilled Sword was strong enough to keep Hideo alive – for now. However the young warrior was already fatigued when he entered this battle. His constant juggling between life as an OniRanger, the sleepless nights he spends catching up on schoolwork, and attending soccer practice every other day was something he just could not do.

"Having trouble, Ningen?" Ohjah taunted. The cloaked figure jumped back, landing several feet away from OniRed. The boy fell to one knee, panting and exhausted. "Perhaps you need some medicine!"

Ohjah swung his weapon again. As he did so, the handle unraveled from around his arm. The scimitar flew towards OniRed, stabbing him in the shoulder.

OniRed flinched. He could feel his body going numb as Ohjah whipped his arm back, pulling the blade out of Hideo.

"Hideo!" Gin yelled from his corner. He immediately slapped his hand around his mouth, shutting himself up. He had been taking advantage of the fact that Ohjah was paying little attention to him. The Kurayami turned to face the Caretaker. "Now I think you will be leading me to the Catalyst?"

Hideo's vision was getting blurry. Ohjah's blade was lined with some kind of toxin, which was now working its way through Hideo's body. He fell forward, collapsing on the ground. His body was enveloped in a soft red glow as he returned to his civilian clothes. The last thing he could see or hear, before blacking out, was Ohjah approaching Gin with a cold chuckle.

When Hideo opened his eyes again, he was standing outside. Confused, he whipped his head back and forth, trying to find signs of Gin or Ohjah. After a minute or two he realised where he was standing. He was in the center of a large soccer field. Looking down, Hideo saw that he was wearing his blue and silver soccer uniform. "Am I dreaming?" He asked out loud. His voice echoed in the air, trailing on for what felt like an eternity.

"Tetsuya!" Another voice echoed behind Hideo's back. He turned around to see his soccer coach glaring at him. "You missed the game, Tetsuya!"

Hideo took a step back. Unsure of what was happening."No. This can't be right." He muttered as the coach began to approach him.

"We lost because of you!" yelled another voice. Hideo turned to see his soccer team standing across the field. They were muddy and worn from an apparently brutal match. One of the boys took a few steps forward. "What kind of captain abandons his team?" He asked Hideo.

Hideo clenched his fists, watching as his team began to approach him as well.

Turning around again, he saw that his coach had disappeared. In his place there stood OniBlue and OniYellow. They did not move or say a word but Hideo could feel their glare. "Tell them!" He pleaded to his fellow OniRanger.

"I thought you said soccer was your life, your ticket into college." The boy from the soccer team said. "Are you just going to give that up?"

Hideo closed his eyes. He had always been so sure of what he wanted in life. He had put so much of his life into the sport, ever since he was a child. But then Sanjo came into his life and put him in charge of defending the world. But what would we do after the world was saved. If he quit the soccer team now, he could lose his chance at a scholarship forever.

Hideo opened his eyes again. The soccer team, including the coach, now surrounded the three Ningen. Their blue and silver uniforms began to melt and dissolve as the team transformed right before his eyes. Their skin grew dark as they turned into several Kagedorōn.

"No." Hideo said out loud. If he stopped fighting now, there wouldn't be a college to go to. If he was going to have any chance at a future, he had to make sure there was a future to look forward to.

OniBlue and OniYellow extended their hands to Hideo. He couldn't help but smile to himself for being so stupid. As Hideo reached for his friends' hands the area was surrounded by a bright red light, disappearing around him.

Ohjah reached for Gin, picking him up by his collar. "Tell me where it is!" He hissed at the caretaker. Gin let out a whimper as he stared right into the eyes of Ohjah's mask. A flash of red light caught his eye. Looking over Ohjah's shoulder he could see its source. Hideo was standing back up.

Ohjah turned around as the light began to glow brighter. "Impossible." Ohjah hissed."My venom should have killed you!"

Hideo stood straight up. His body was surrounded by a fiery red aura. "Sorry, but I have better things to do tonight that lay around dying." The aura circled in around Hideo, transforming him into OniRed.

Sanjo and Eiji were getting ready to finish off the Chameleon Kurayami. The monster was running towards them, ready to strike. "Not this time." Sanjo said. Her mask flashed as her weapon appeared in her hands. "Mystic Staff!" She said as she swung her staff around. "Ningen Chant. Nami Mahō" Sanjo swing the staff upwards, sending a wave of blue energy along the ground.

"Soudai Funsai!" Eiji followed, swinging his hammer like a baseball bat. As he did so his hammer began to glow bright yellow The yellow light flew from the hammer joining Sanjo's attack as they closed in on the Kurayami. The two energy waves merged inches from the demon, combining its power as it struck the demon. The monster let out a yelp of pain as it fell to the ground, exploding into a shadowy mist.

OniYellow let out a sigh of relief. "I am so glad that worked." He said, resting his hammer on the ground. "Where the hell was Hideo?"

"I am not sure" Sanjo replied. Her head shot to the left as something caught her attention. "It is impossible. I'm sensing strong Oni Magic. It just suddenly appeared there as if-" Sanjo trailed off. "We must find Hideo and Gin."

Ohjah watched OniRed with interest. The boy had managed to overcome one of his own toxins – a difficult, if not impossible, task. "Well well." Ohjah hissed. "Maybe you do have some worth."

The cloaked figure looked up at the roof. From outside, a translucent barrier faded into view. As quickly as it appeared, the barrier began dissolve. "Very well, Ningen. I am convinced the Catalyst is not here.." Ohjah hissed. He took a few steps back, moving into the shadows, disappearing from sight.

"Is it over?" Gin asked. He slowly stood back up, keeping his back to the wall. A sudden from the ground pushed him forward, dropping him the ground once again.

"Not by a long shot." OniRed replied, running towards the door.

From every shadowy corner, a dark mist began to rise. The mist was converging above warehouse, twisting into a humanoid shape. The shape transformed into a giant-size version of the Chameleon Kurayami. Gin and Hideo barely made it out of the warehouse before the monster's large foot crushed through the roof.

"Hideo!" Sanjo called out as OniBlueand OniYellow ran towards them.

"Looks like our pal is back." Eiji said, looking up at the skyscraper of a monster.

"Did you find anything?" Sanjo asked Hideo, glancing at the remains of the warehouse.

"Yeah, I'll explain later." Hideo replied. "For now let's do our duty."

"Oni Dai Henge!" The three called out. Their masks began to glow as the three rangers were enveloped by lights of their respective colors. Jumping into the air, the three balls of light flew around the giant monster. The lights began to grow as they crashed back into the ground. As the lights faded, three new figures stood.

"Oni Titans!" The three, machine-like warriors said in booming voices.

Standing as tall as the monster, three Titans of red, blue, and yellow stood above the city. Their heads just barely towered over the large skyscrapers. Across from them stood the giant Chameleon Kurayami, who was watching his opponents carefully. "Didn't we play this game already?" The monster said as he faded from sight. "You cannot hit what you cannot see!"

The three titans were struck by an invisible blow as the monster whipped his tongue at them again. The warriors fell back, crashing into the streets below. The monster reappeared, standing a few miles away. "Good luck finding enough dirt to cover me at this size!"

The warriors stood up, holding their chests wounds. "We have to get do something about We have to surround him." The red titan said. "Don't give him the chance to cloak and run."

The other two titans nodded and ran off, charging through the city. OniYellow's titan ran to the left while OniBlue's took the right. OniRed charged at the Kurayami again.

"I told you, it's not going to work!" The monster laughed as he disappeared again.

OniRed skidded to a halt. Everything had to be timed exactly right if they were going to defeat the invisible monster.

The red titan turned to the right, whipping his arm out into the air. At the same time, the monsters invisible tongue struck the titan in the chest. "Got you!" Hideo yelled as he grabbed the monsters tongue with his extended arm.

The tongue slowly faded back into view along with the rest of the demon. "H-Hey!" It screamed. "Let that go!"

The monsters two bulbous eyes spun around, watching as the blue and yellow titans took their places. The yellow titan stood to the left of the monster, while the blue titan stood to its right. Both of them had lowered their golden masks over their silver faces.

"Time to send you back to the shadows." The red titan said as his golden mask slipped down over his face. "Tell Ohjah I say hi."

"Kage Gekitai!" The three yelled out. From the center of the Titan's respective chests, balls of light began to form. Following the path their arms lead, the beams were fired towards the Kurayami, spinning around the monster wildly. The three beams mixed into one golden wave that circled around the monster before crashing into it. The monster fell, exploding into a large wave of shadowy mist.

"Let's go home." OniRed said. "It's been a long day."

The following morning, were sitting outside of the high school. Classes had been canceled following last night's monster attack but Sanjo had insisted they accompany Hideo.

"So do you think he's really going to do it?" Eiji asked. He was sitting on the stairs next to Sanjo. To kill time, he had been exposing her to the music of the modern world. The two shared a pair of yellow ear-buds connected to Eijis iPod. Surprisingly, Sanjo seemed to enjoy the music."

"It is the right decision to make." Sanjo said, removing her ear-bud . The Fukumen could reappear anywhere in the world. "We could be gone for days at a time."

"I don't think he'll do it." Eiji said. "It's all he talks about when we are training."

"Only to drown out your stereo." Hideo said from behind them He was leaning against the school doors, watching the two with amusement.

"It is done then?" Sanjo asked? "You quit the team?"

"No." Hideo said, sitting down next to his friends.

"Told you so." Eiji said with a smirk.

"I did, however," Hideo continued. "Pass on my position to someone else. I asked the coach to bench me for a while I took care of some personal business."

"That is an acceptable compromise?" Sanjo asked.

"For now." Hideo said. The group stood up and began to walk away from the school. "Now let's go save the world."

-FIN


	8. Episode 7: Tonkotsu In Tokyo

A few days had passed since the fight between OniRed and Ohjah. Sanjo had insisted that Hideo remain under observation until they could determine what toxin Ohjah used against him in their last encounter. However Hideo was adamant on the fact that he was okay. Whatever the Kurayami poisoned him with had been neutralised by the Red Fukumen.

Hideo and Eiji were sitting around the lower levels of the Hikari Museum. School was over for the day, but Hideo was forcing Eiji to study. They both had a lot of homework to catch up on. Eiji was already falling behind even before they became OniRangers. Hideo was determined to get them both up to acceptable levels.

"Ah Mou!" Eiji groaned as he banged his head against the table. "This is so boring! Why can't we turn some music on?"

"Music is too much of a distraction for you." Hideo responded, bluntly. "Every time a song comes on, I can hear you tapping your feet against the floor. Put all your focus on what is in front of you and you'll get through it."

Both of the boys turned to look at the elevator doors as they slip open. Gin stepped out from the lift. He was dressed in an expensive black suit, with his hair combed neatly. A small, gold name tag was pinned to his lapel, bearing the words "Izumi Gin - Caretaker." The young man had been busy upstairs all morning, making several important phone calls. His face was beaming with excitement.

"Where is Sanjo" Gin asked as he loosened his tie. "I have something to show you guys."

"She's in her room." Eiji said, pointed to one of the back doors. He stared down at his school work. "Oh forget this." He said, putting his gear away in frustration.

"She's trying to find some information on The Catalyst." Hideo added, looking at Eiji with a cringe of disappointment.

In his last battle, Hideo and Gin learned that the Kurayami were searching for something called 'The Catalyst'. Sanjo wanted to find it first, believing it could lead to the Kurayami's defeat.

""Well go get her!" Gin exclaimed. "Because I think I just found the first Fukumen."

Deep within the Kurayami's palace, Ohjah was yelling in pain. Three cloaked figures were in the throne room. Kibala watched with amusement as Ohjah squirmed in agony at her feet. The third cloaked figure was in the middle of torturing Ohjah for his disobedience in their last objective. A cloud of dark purple energy was wrapped around Ohjah, sending black bolts of electricity through his body.

"I grow tired of your insolence, Ohjah." The unnamed figure said. "Not only did you barge in on my plan, but you never even bothered to take that Ningen's Fukumen!" The cloud of energy faded away, freeing Ohjah from its pain.

"T-The Catalyst wasn't even there." Ohjah hissed as he struggled to stand up. "And it would seem that the Ningen do not know where it is either."

"Perhaps our new pet still has some information for us?" Kibala said, stepping over Ohjah as she walked towards the throne.

"If we do anymore damage to it, our master will have no body to inhabit." Ohjah protested. He finally stood up and moved to one of the many pews that filled the throne room.

"Without the Catalyst our master grows weaker by the day, trapped in that mask." Kibala said, running her gloved hand around the black and red mask that rested on the throne. "There will always be more bodies."

"I agree." The third figure spoke. "Ohjah, prepare our guest for interrogation. Kibala, I have a special job for you."

Hideo, Eiji, and Sanjo had made their way to the train station. The young Ningen girl was fascinated by the vehicles of the modern world. The idea of sitting in a metal box that was moving at such dangerous speeds was something Sanjo had to try for herself.

"But why Tokyo?" Eiji asked as they got on the sleek bullet train.

"Gin said an associate of his father lives here." Sanjo replied. "Some of his men recently returned from an archeological dig in a land called Tibet."

"Apparently," Hideo added. "One of the objects they recovered is unique, a mask that doesn't seem to belong with the rest of the artifacts."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it." Eiji smirked as he slipped on his yellow headphones. "Just wake me when we're there."

The train finally stopped at the JR Metros station in Tokyo. The three young warriors pushed their through the crowd of passengers and ran out of the station as fast as they could.

"This city is amazing!" Sanjo said as they walked through the busy streets. While Hikarienma was a large city, it was nothing compared to Tokyo. This city was much larger; its buildings were much taller. There were more skyscrapers than Sanjo could count.

"Focus, Sanjo." Hideo said. "We'll take a tour later. Let's find this guy and get our mask."

"Hello!" Someone called out to them. The group turned around to see a man running towards them. He wore a brown tweed suit with a white, wrinkled shirt. He had a pair of crooked, black framed glasses parched on his shiny nose. His messy hair was starting to turn grey. The man looked as if he had just run a mile. "I thought I was going to miss you!" The man panted.

"Who are you?" Hideo asked.

"Not so fast!" The man exclaimed. "First, let's get some lunch."

The man dragged the group all the way to a small ramen cart not far from the station. The four of them were squat together in the small booth. Eiji and the mysterious man were both happily enjoying bowls of Tonkotsu Ramen. Hideo and Sanjo stared at the man, and the metal case he rested his bowl upon.

"My name is Tsuji Yamato." The man finally began after finishing his bowl. "I'm a professor here in Tokyo's University. Izumi told me you would be coming to meet me." Professor Tsuji paused for a moment. "He's so much like his father." He said as he waved to the chef for another bowl.

"Gin mentioned you were in Tibet recently. Doing some work on a dig site?" Hideo said. He was beginning to grow impatient with the man's lax attitude.

"Yes, well, it was really more of a vacation." Tsuji said as he began his second bowl. "It wasn't a large dig or anything, just a few of us scavenging an old dig site for some souvenirs."

"And that is where you found the mask?" Sanjo asked. She listened to the man's words with great interest.

Tsuji nodded as he slurped back a mouthful of noodles. "Oh, yes. It's the most peculiar thing. It matches none of the other known Tibetan relics I've ever seen. It's almost as if it didn't belong there." Tsuji said as he set his bowl aside. "It's going to make me a very rich man! Would you care to see it?" He asked, reaching into his coat pocket to pull out a set of keys.

The young group glanced back to each other and then back to Tsuji. His suit was old and worn out, clearly second hand. His glasses had been self-repaired several times over, with black paint to cover up the glue and tape. Whatever he did at the university, it clearly was not a high paying job.

The three youths moved in closer to watch as Professor Tsuji brought the key closer to the lock. However before the man had a chance to open the case, a long black tendril shot past the cook's head. The cook yelled in fear and fainted as the tendril wrapped itself around the metal case.

Behind the cart was a single Kagedorōn. The dark creature was sticking half way out of the ramen cart's shadow. Its tendril-like arm whipped back, stealing the metal case before anybody had the chance to react.

The Kagedorōn rose up from the ground, followed by several more that seeped through the shadows. The first Kagedorōn whipped it's free tendril towards the cart again. Hideo grabbed Professor Tsuji and jumped back with the other Ningen warriors, narrowly escaping the cart as it splintered into pieces.

"I thought we left these guys back home?" Eiji said as the group stood back up. From what Sanjo had explained to them, the Kurayami were very territorial. They had their sights set on reclaiming what was once their land – where Hikarienma now stood.

"They are after the Fukumen." Sanjo exclaimed. "We must get it back, or we are all in grave danger."

"Take care of them." Hideo said. "I'll get Professor Tsuji to safety." Hideo grabbed Tsuji's arm. "Save a few for me." He cheekily added before running off with the professor.

"No promises." Eiji called back. Together with Sanjo, he removed is OniChanger from his pocket.

"Ningen Chant!" The warriors called out. "OniChange!" The small gemstones on top of their OniChangers flashed as the device slid open. Inside were two miniature Fukumen of yellow and blue respectively. The masks flew out of the device, increasing in size until they reached the warriors faces. The warriors began to glow as the masks attached themselves to their faces.

In an instant, they were transformed into their OniRanger forms. Without hesitation, the two reached for their YuraYura Kanabou and ran towards the group of monsters.

The Kagedorōn scattered around the OniRangers, pushing the OniRangers away from the remaining monster. The minion holding the case stood away from the battle, trying hard to pry the metal box open.

"We must get the mask!" Sanjo called out while she swatted at the Kagedorōn with her club.

"No problem, just hang onto something." OniYellow replied. The yellow mask on his helmet light up for a moment as Eiji raised his leg into the air. Using the augmented strength given to him by his Fukumen, Eiji slammed his foot hard against the ground, sending a ripple through the ground, knocking the group of Kagedorōn onto the ground.

As the monsters hit the ground, they dissolved into a thick, black fog. The fog swarmed around the remaining Kagedorōn.

"They've begun to merge." OniBlue said with a hint of worry in her voice. "Another Kurayami Oni in the world."

The fog began to shrink around the monster, changing in shape. The shadowy figure began to solidify, transforming into a newer, larger creature.

The monster began to take a more solid form, changing into what resembled a large, humanoid, armadillo-like creature. It was a heavy creature, with large, grey, metal armor that made up the monster's shell. Its long face had the remnants of a white mask along its jaw. In its bulky hands it held Professor Tsuji's metal briefcase, and the Fukumen it contained.

"This is way better!" The Armadillo Kurayami laughed. "So much power, it's incredible!"

"You're distracted!" OniYellow called out to the Kurayami as he jumped into the air. "Strong Hammer!" He commanded while still in mid-air. His large weapon appeared in his hands in a burst of yellow light. OniYellow swung his mighty club down at the Armadillo as he fell towards it.

The Kurayami spun around, blocking OniYellow's attack with its large shell. The hammer bounced off the monster's back, repelling Eiji's swing. The force pushed the yellow warrior back into the air, sending him several yards away.

"That was awesome!" The Armadillo proudly cheered over his newfound abilities. "Now it's my turn!" The monster brought the metal case close to his chest and jumped into the air. Is heavy armor started to shift as the monster curled up into a large ball. The ball fell back down to the ground with a loud thud. "You tried to rock, now I'll bring the roll!"

The ball began to roll. It gained speed quickly, crashing into the two OniRangers like a bowling ball to a pin.

Hideo dragged Professor Tsuji as far away from the battle as possible. The man was wheezing for breath until Hideo finally thought it was far enough. "Stay here." Hideo said. "I've got to go make sure my friends are okay."

"What? Oh right, yes." Tsuji waved Hideo off, lost in his own thoughts. "I'll just, uh, return to my office."

Hideo watched as Tsuji ran off. Something about the man didn't seem quite right to Hideo. He shook off the thought for now and ran back towards the battle.

Eiji and Sanjo struggled to stand up. The monsters attack was strong enough to force the two warriors out of their OniRanger forms. They knelt, helplessly, watching as the Armadillo Kurayami withdrew itself from its ball form.

"You guys aren't so tough at all!" The monster laughed. "You're just letting me walk all over you! Or, should I say roll!"

"That's enough playing around." Said a familiar, female voice. The cloaked figure, Kibala, appeared within a black cloud of shadows.

"I-It's her," Eiji stammered. "That woman who took the Oni Lord's mask!" Eiji remembered back to the day this all started.

Sanjo glared at the woman. "Kibala..." She muttered under her breath.

"Ningen no Sanjo. The years have been good to you, I see. Still just a child." Kibala said with a wicked laugh.

"A friend of yours?" Eiji asked, glancing at his companion.

"Not exactly," Sanjo replied. "To make a long story short, I thought I had already killed her."

"And I should have had my revenge on your statue while I had the chance!" Kibala snapped back. "However you are proving to be most useful." The cloaked woman turned her attention towards the Armadillo Kurayami.

"Give me the case." She demanded.

The monster complied, handing the case over to Kibala. "It's locked." He said. "The human ran off with the key."

"The key," Kibala repeated, clutching the case in her arms. "Really, what kind of moron are you." The cloaked woman took a few steps towards Eiji and Sanjo. "Now watch, Ningen clan, the rebirth of a Kurayami-Taii!"

"No!" Sanjo cried out as Kibala threw the case into the air.

Hideo arrived just in time to watch Kibala charge a ball of black energy in her hand. He knew he had to act quickly. He ran towards the fight, pulling out his OniChanger.

"Ningen Chant: OniChange!" He cried out – just as Kibala launched the dark ball of energy into the air, towards Professor Tsuji's metal suitcase.

- To Be Continued in "Tsuji's Web"


	9. Episode 8: Tsuji's Web

Hideo jumped into the air, transforming into OniRed, in a desperate attempt to grab the metal case and the Fukumen it contained. He had to move faster than ever before if he were to outrun Kibala's attack on the case.

However, before OniRed could even get close enough, he was knocked back down by the Armadillo Kurayami's 'Ball Form'. The large, metal ball crashed to the ground, pinning OniRed under its weight.

The OniRangers could only watch as Kibala's ball of dark magic struck the case. In an instant, the energy around the case burst into a fiery explosion.

Charred remains of paper fell to the ground along with several bits of scorched clothing. On top of the rubble fell two small pieces of wood. The wood looked like it had once been two halves of a mask, misshapen from its original form, and scorched black by the explosion.

Kibala stared at the burning remains, as if expecting something else to happen. However nothing came. "A fake."She finally muttered to herself. "Where is the real mask?" She roared to Sanjo.

"I-I don't know..." Sanjo said, astonished. "I am just as surprised as you are, Kibala." She smiled a little as she stood back up. "I guess we both failed here today."

Kibala let out a shriek of rage. "Kill her!" She commanded the Armadillo Kurayami.

"Yes, Mistress Kibala!" The metal ball said. The Kurayami rolled off of Hideo. The boy had been forced from his OniRanger form, and how lay unconscious in the small crater the Kurayami had created.

The monster unrolled from its ball form and stood back up. "This should be a piece of cake." He said as he ran towards Eiji and Sanjo.

The creature stopped suddenly, overtaken by a sudden pain throughout his body. "W-What's happening?" He said as he watched his claw start to dissolve.

"Blast." Kibala said, clutching her side. "We've been away from the boundary for too long." The cloaked woman glanced at Eiji and Sanjo, and then towards Hideo.

"There is nothing else for us here, anyway." She muttered. "You got lucky this time, Ningen clan, but you have no one protecting Hikarienma. Let's see who can get back first?" Kibala and the Armadillo Kurayami faded away, slipping back into the shadows.

Sanjo and Eiji watched as the last traces of their enemy faded away. The two immediately ran towards Hideo, who still lay unconscious in the small crater.

"He is badly hurt." Sanjo said, examining Hideo's body. Her palms began to glow a soft blue as she placed them over his body. "I will do what I can but once we are able to move him, he must get proper medical attention.

"What about Hikarienma?" Eiji asked. "They could be attacking it right now."

"I am aware!" Sanjo snapped back. It wasn't common to see her let her anger show so much. "But the city is hopeless without all three of us."

Deep within the Shadow World, Kibala and the Armadillo returned to the large, dark palace. Standing by the throne stood the unnamed cloaked figure gazing over his master's mask.

"Another failure?" The cloaked figure asked. It was clear that he was the one in charge. "I'm surprised, Kibala."

"Because of your own information, yes." Kibala retorted. "Whatever the man had, it was not one of The Eleven. It was just a fake."

"A fake?" The leader asked. "Do you really think I am that naive?" A dark cloud of energy was starting to form around the leader's body, reacting to his rising anger. "Were it a fake I would not have detected it. Ningen no Sanjo may be inexperienced enough not to know the difference, but I do! We cannot allow the Ningen clan to find it first!"

"It does not matter anyway." Kibala said. "We cannot survive outside that retched barrier for more than a few hours, not since we cast away." Kibala glanced back at the Armadillo Kurayami. Its arm was slowly starting to repair itself. "This one won't be useful for some time."

"Then we shall send him back to Hikarienma to search for the Catalyst. You will return to Tokyo and find that Fukumen."

Once Hideo was stable enough to move, Eiji and Sanjo brought him to the hospital. After a clever story and a phone call to Gin, the group were sent to a private room where Hideo could rest.

The red warrior slept in a hospital bed. His head and left arm were wrapped up in bandages. His wrist wrested comfortably in a sling.

"What a waste of time this was." Eiji complained as he fiddled with the small radio on Hideo's bedside table. "That Professor Tsuji was a total flake."

"Yes, but you cannot help but feel sad for him." Sanjo said. She was standing by the window, gazing at the large city. "He thought he made a real discovery."

"Well we were going to ruin his dream anyway." Eiji replied. He finally found a station he liked and turned the volume up. "Still, Hideo didn't have to suffer for it."

"What's making me suffer is that music." Hideo said. His eyes were still closed but they were now twitching in frustration. "I thought I told you to keep it down!" He said, finally opening them.

"Hideo!" Sanjo called out, running to his bedside. "Are you alright?"

"I'll live."Hideo replied. "Did we get the mask?"

Sanjo shook her head. "Unfortunately, Professor Tsuji's mask was not a Fukumen." She pulled out the charred remains from her bag. "But it defiantly was a reproduction."

"A copy." Hideo said. "Why would Tsuji have a copy?"

"It is possible that copies were made after the war." Sanjo said, gliding her hands over the mask.

"Probably. " Hideo muttered. "But I think Tsuji is smarter than that. He seemed really excited about his find."

"We do not have the time to worry about that." Sanjo said as she walked away from the bed. "If the mask isn't here then it won't be long before the Kurayami return their focus to the Catalyst. "

"Yeah, but it's going to take a few hours to get back home." Eiji said. "And the next train isn't for a while."

"So I'll just have to send us back using my magic." Sanjo said, as if it was a common fact.

"Then why did we waste all that time on a train?" Hideo complained.

Sanjo was silent for a moment. She turned to face the other two and said, "It looked fun. I was never on a train before."

Eiji almost slipped off of his chair at Sanjo's remark. With a sigh he stood up and grabbed his backpack. "Whatever, let's just go."

"I'm staying here." Hideo said. "I want to talk to Tsuji first." Hideo looked towards Sanjo. "Do you think you can get me out of this hospital first?"

"Consider it done." Sanjo said. "But be careful, you are still in rough shape."

"Yeah, yeah." Hideo said as he reached for his clothes. "Don't worry. I think I have this all figured out."

"Going to let us in?" Eiji smirked.

"Yeah," Hideo replied. 'But first I have to get out of these hospital clothes."

The Armadillo Kurayami strolled casually through a large construction site in Hikarienma. The construction workers around him were running away in a panic. "Ugh." It said to itself. "Humans are so ugly! Now what was I here for again?" The monster paused and rubbed its head in confusion. "A cat?"

"Then, meow!" OniYellow exclaimed as he appeared in a wave of blue magic. He ran towards the Armadillo Kurayami, withdrawing his YuraYura Kanabou. "ToguToguYura!" He said as he swung his club at the monster's chest. The spikes on the club began to spin, releasing yellow energy that enveloped the club. The surprise attack caught the Armadillo off guard, knocking him off his feet. The monster flew back, landing into a pile of empty oil drums.

OniBlue appeared next to OniYellow, in a similar wave of blue light. "Hideo is out. What did I miss?"

"Oh, the usual." Eiji said. "Just kicking butt."

"His backside is covered by his armor, I would not recommend that." Sanjo replied, oblivious to Eiji's humor."

"That was not cool!" The Armadillo said as it stood back up. "Oh, it's you two. Didn't I beat you already?"

"It's going to take more than that to defeat us." Eiji said. "Time for round two."

In a small apartment, the raggedy Professor Tsuji walked around the poor excuse for a kitchen, preparing a small package of instant noodles. He was humming happily to himself, despite his recent loss at fortune.

A sudden knock at the door made him jump. The man stared through the peephole and immediately his face dropped. Suddenly looking very sad, Tsuji opened up the door. Hideo stood there. His head and arm was still bandaged up, but he was no longer wearing the ridiculous medial robe.

"Oh, the Tetsuya boy, come in" He said. "Did you find my briefcase?" He asked, with a hopeful look.

"I'm sorry, Professor." Hideo said as he entered the apartment. "Those monsters destroyed it, the mask as well."

"I see." Tsuji replied. He was trying his best to look sad, but Hideo knew that there was something Tsuji wasn't telling him.

"Well." Tsuji said as he reached for his tweed jacket. "At least you tried. I better get back to the office now."

Hideo glanced around the small apartment. Most of Tsuji's belongings were packed away in cardboard boxes. "I was just at the University, Professor" He said. "It's how I got your address. They told me you were fired a month ago."

"Oh. Yes, well I still have a few things to pick up from there, so if you'll excuse me." Tsuji said as he tried to leave the apartment.

"Like the real mask?" Hideo said.

Tsuji stopped dead in his tracks. "Like you said, the mask was destroyed."

"The mask in your briefcase was destroyed, yes."Hideo replied. "But you knew it was a fake from the start, didn't you."

Professor Tsuji was silent for a moment. "Please leave," He said. "Before I call the police."

"Professor!" Hideo yelled. "You don't understand. As long as you have that mask, you are in a lot of danger.

"I said, leave!" Tsuji shouted as he opened the door. Standing in the doorway stood the cloaked figure, Kibala.

"Hello, Professor." Kibala said in a cold voice. "Ah, it looks like Sanjo's pet got here first.

Hideo stepped in front of Professor Tsuji. "The mask's not here, Kurayami." He said as he reached for his OniChanger.

"Fool me once, shame on me." Kibala said. "I will just have to tear the building apart until I find it."

The cloaked woman rose up her gloved hand, sending a wave of dark energy into the room.

Hideo grabbed Professor Tsuji and ran towards the window, smashing through it just as the attack got close.

As the two fell, Hideo was enveloped in an aura of red light, transforming into OniRed. He held onto Tsuji as he landed gracefully onto the ground.

"H-How are we still alive!" Tsuji yelled, looking up at the apartment complex. His wall had been destroyed by Kibala's attack.

"It's because of this." Hideo said, tapping the red mask on his helmet. "It gives us special abilities to fight monsters like that. " OniRed grabbed Tsuji by the shoulder. "Which is why I need your mask, the whole world is at risk unless we have it."

Tsuji looked down at his feet. "This was my one big break." He finally said. "My research was cut; my job was taken from me. I was getting kicked out of my apartment, before it was blown up. " The man reached into the breast pocket of his tweed jacket. "And then I found it – the rarest thing I've ever seen."

Professor Tsuji pulled out a gleaming orange mask. It differed from the one OniRed wore, as it had no mouth piece – and a small spider adorned on its forehead. "I always wanted to be a proper archeologist. When my friends offered me the chance to go to Tibet – I thought I would be able to find something valuable something that could boost my career and make me a fortune at the same time. I want to be remembered for my work."

"And you will be, Professor. You could be the man who helped save the world if you just give me the mask."

"Courageous words, Ningen." Kibala called out from inside the apartment. "It is a shame they will be your last."

The cloaked woman jumped down from the building, floating to the ground next to OniRed and Tsuji. "But now I have you and the mask." She laughed.

"Normally, you'd be right." OniRed said. "But there's one thing you didn't take into account."

"Oh?" Kibala remarked. "And what would that be?"

"Sanjo's teleport spell." OniRed exclaimed. With his grip still on Professor Tsuji's shoulder, OniRed raised his OniChanger with his free hand. In a wave of blue energy, the two disappeared from Kibala's sight.

Kibala let out a roar of anger. "That is the last time I let you embarrass me." She hissed under her breath before disappearing in a black, shadowy fog.

The Armadillo Kurayami laughed as OniBlue and OniYellow were sent flying back by once more. "No matter how many times I tell you, your weapons cannot hurt my armor!"

"This is bad." OniYellow said as he propped his body up with his Strong Hammer. "There's just no way to crack him open."

"I have kept the transport spell active." Sanjo said she pulled herself up using her Mystic Staff. "We just have to hold on and pray that Hideo finds the mask."

"That's easy for you to say." OniYellow said as the two stood up. "Let's just hope he lands here with us.

The Armadillo monster jumped into the air, curling back into its armored-ball form. "Why won't you guys just die?" It exclaimed as it rolled towards the OniRangers.

A soft blue wave of light appeared between the Kurayami and the OniRangers. Appearing within the light stood OniRed and Professor Tsuji.

The monster skidded to a stop at their sudden appearance. "Oh, it's the crater boy. You look good for someone I squished."

"Allow me to return the favor." OniRed said. He turned to Professor Tsuji. "Please, Professor."

The old man looked at the monster, and then back down at the mask he held. "The whole world resting on our hands...now that's something." He mumbled to himself. "Isshin's boy has some fine friends." He said, handing the orange mask to OniRed. "Go get him, son."

OniRed nodded and grabbed the mask. As soon as he touched it, the mask began to glow a bright orange light.

"The Kumo Fukumen!" OniBlue exclaimed. "The power of the Spider Kurayami."

"Let's see what this thing can do." Hideo said as he rose the mask into the air. "Fukumen Change!"

OniRed's Fukumen dissolved from his helmet. The Kumo Fukumen floated towards his head in its place. A wave of orange energy surrounded OniRed as the power of two Fukumen filled his body.

"Skilled Warrior, OniRed!" He exclaimed as the aura dissipated. OniRed, now wearing the orange Kumo Fukumen, stepped forward. "You might want to get out of here, Professor."

"Hah, you think that is going to be enough." The Armadillo monster jumped back, landing several meters back. "Well here I come!"

The Armadillo monster began to roll in place, gaining momentum before it launched itself towards OniRed.

As if relying on instinct, OniRed crouched down. A thin stream of white foam shot out from a small nozzle piece under the masks's visor. The foam hit the ground as the monster got closer. The large armored ball rolled into the sticky foam, stopping it instantly.

"H-Hey!" It said as it tried to unroll itself. "I-I'm stuck!"

"Don't worry." Hideo said. "I'll get you out." Hideo held out his arms. In a flash of orange light, a large, shotgun like weapon appeared in his hands. The gun was designed primarily to look like a large, orange spider. Its four front legs made up the barrel of the gun, which was beginning to charge up.

"Time to get squashed." OniRed exclaimed. A large ball of orange energy began to grow from the tip of the gun's barrel.

"Kumo Shooting!" OniRed roared as he fired the gun, launching the ball of energy towards the Armadillo Kurayami.

The large ball of energy pushed its way through the monster's mighty armor, detonating upon contact. The monster exploded in a fiery wave.

"Hideo, you did it!" OniBlue exclaimed. "You've found the Kumo Fukumen- and even managed to use its power!"

"Managed?" OniRed complained. "I think I did better than that. Now get Professor Tsuji to safety while I finish him off."

OniBlue and OniYellow nodded and ran off with the professor. OniRed looked up to watch as the Armadillo Kurayami reformed, growing larger and larger until it reached a colossal size. The orange, Kumo Fukumen faded from his helmet in a wave of red light, replaced by OniRed's original mask.

"Oni Dai Henge!" OniRed commanded, transforming into his large, Titan form. Standing with the skyscrapers, the large warrior of red, black, and gold stood over the city. Its arms and legs were adorned with a flame-like pattern that stuck out around its body, like the warrior was ablaze. Resting over its unmoving, silver face was a golden mask. The mask had six red eyes and two long, golden horns.

The larger, red titan stood hundreds of feet away from the Armadillo Kurayami, but from Hideo's point of view they were practically eye to eye.

The Armadillo attacked first. It took few large steps towards the Red Titan, tearing through a few buildings as it did so. However, even in his Titan form, OniRed was still able to utilize his red Fukumen's special abilities.

The large titan gracefully leaned to the left, avoiding the monster's swing with ease. "You're too slow, even at this size!" OniRed mocked as he punched the monster in the chest with his large, silver fist.

Vulnerable to an attack from the front, the Armadillo was knocked back. "Who needs speed when I can do this?" the monster shouted as jumped into the air, transforming into its large, ball form once again. "Now I can crush you AND flatten the city at the same time."

"We'll see about that." OniRed replied. The circular hole in the Titan's chest began to glow orange. "Fukumen Spider!" He called out. The orange light flew from the titan's chest, floating up into the air.

The light began to take shape, forming a large, almost mechanical-like spider. It was primarily orange in color, with eight, long black legs. Its front legs were the largest, with three, finger-like claws that dug into the pavement as it fell back to the ground. Its silver fangs snapped together as it let out a small growl at the Armadillo Kurayami.

"Ningen Gattai!" OniRed commanded as the Titan jumped into the air. The flame like accents on the warrior's arms detached themselves, while the accents on his legs rose up from his shins to his thighs.

The spider spilt away into several parts. It's large abdomen split in half and slipped over the Red Titan's legs. The spider's large front claws slipped over the Titan's arms. The rest of the spider attached itself to the Titan's back, pointing its remaining legs into the air.

The Titan's arm accents attached themselves to his chest, completing the new set of armor the Titan wore.

The Kumo OniTitan watched as the Armadillo Kurayami rolled towards him. "Sorry, Kurayami." The OniTitan flung out its arms, launching two streams of white webbing from the orange gauntlets it wore. The webbing wrapped itself around the Kurayami as it rolled, slowing it down as it got closer to Hideo.

The titan swung its arms up, pulling the Kurayami into the air. "Kumo Assault!" Hideo cried out as it jumped into the air. The Fukumen Spider detached itself from the OniTitan, reassembling back into its animal form. The spider began to glow as it jumped into the air, charging towards the ball. Like a bullet, the spider crashed through the Kurayami, exploding in a wave of orange energy.

The Red OniTitan watched as the shadowy remains of the monster slipped back into the darkness.

Back at the museum, Hideo and Eiji were once again attempting to catch up on their homework. After another visit from the doctor, Hideo was forced to the next couple of days off from school. However he still had a lot of homework to catch up on.

"You should take a break, Hideo." Sanjo said as she entered the room, holding the Kumo Fukumen in her hand. "Handling two Fukumen at once has a toll on the body."

"Yeah, but you kicked ass though." Eiji said, ignoring the work in front of him. Instead, he reached for the stereo system and turned it on.

"I'd love to take a break." Hideo said. "But if I don't get good grades, I'm not going to America." Hideo sighed as Eiji cranked the music louder and louder. "But it's hard to concentrate with all that noise!"

Eiji laughed as he blared the stereo louder. "If you can't work, then relax!" He said with a smirk as he ran away, chased by Hideo.

-Fin.


	10. Episode 9: Oni Oniichan

It was a crisp day in the city of Hikarienma. The cool autumn air was turning into a brisk winter chill as the Christmas season inched closer and closer. Hideo was relieved that soccer practice at his school would soon be over for the season. While he had given up his Captain position on the team, he still tried to attend as many games as possible before it was over for the year.

Eiji, on the other hand, wouldn't stop complaining about the cold weather. The frost made it harder to find a suitable area for his gang to meet up and street dance. The ground was either too damp or too slippery. His group was banned from any decent spot after one too many fist fights with rivaling groups. Not that they were Eiji's fault, or so he claims.

Sanjo, on the other hand, was becoming more and more distant from the group as time went on. The Kurayami seemed to be laying low since Hideo recovered the Kumo Fukumen from Professor Tsuji a few weeks earlier. She allowed Hideo and Eiji to resume their day to day lives while she focused on her research into the Catalyst.

Or at least, that was the plan.

Hideo stepped out of the elevator into the basement of the museum. He was wearing his soccer uniform, having just returned from one of his final games of the season. "Hey guys, we won!" He called out. He was about to speak again, but his sentence was cut short when Sanjo's crystal ball came zooming passed his head.

To his left, he watched Eiji duck out of the way of the ball, which shattered against the wall behind him. "Oi, Sanjo! I said I was sorry!" He exclaimed.

Hideo looked to his right, seeing a pissed off Sanjo glaring at Eiji. "Yamagata Eiji, you are a jerk. I thought man-kind had evolved in the last thousand years, but you are still so primitive."

Hideo's eyes followed Sanjo as she stormed off into the elevator. "Sanjo!" he said, running back towards the elevator only to have it shut in his face.

Dumbfound, Hideo turned back to Eiji. "What the hell was that about?"

"First of all," Eiji started, moving away from the broken crystal ball on the ground. "Totally not my fault."

"Somehow I doubt that." Hideo replied, folding his arms. "But go on."

"Okay, so I tried to invite Sanjo to hang out with my friends." Eiji continued." She was interested in the music so I was going to show her the dance moves too."

"I can see why she would get upset." Hideo interjected.

"Shut up." Eiji stated. "Anyway, she refused and I sort of said..."

"Well?" Hideo said, giving Eiji a small shove.

"...It's not like she had any friends to hang out with."

Hideo was silent for a moment, trying to comprehend Eiji's stupidity. "Hang on a moment." He said. "I'm going to find something heavy to throw at your head."

Meanwhile, Ohjah and Kibala could be heard screaming in pain throughout the realm of shadows. Their leader, the unnamed cloak figure, roared in anger as he struck his subordinates down with a shadowy wave over and over again.

"The two of you fail me time and time again!" He roared at the other two in anger. "The Ningen clan are only getting stronger. It will be impossible to find the Catalyst at this rate."

Kibala and Ohjah stood as their leader freed them from his wrath.

"I was this close to releasing one of the Kurayami-Taii." Kibala defended. "If it weren't for the fake mask, we would be one step closer to our goal."

"I'm only hearing more failure, Kibala." The leader spoke. "I pushed the barrier as thinly as I could so you would be able to move farther than Hikarienma. I risked closing off this realm for good, in order for you to destroy the OniRanger's power. You even sent the Oni back to buy yourself more time. And yet one Ningen pup and some old human both managed to get away – with the Fukumen!"

"Perhaps you need someone more experienced in the matter?" Called an unknown voice.

The three cloaked figures turned around to face the newcomer. "Ah." The leader spoke. "It is you!"

Sanjo wandered Hikarienma's streets alone. Despite the growing chill in the air, she was only wearing a tight, blue and white striped t-shirt, accompanied only by a black vest. She held her arms as she felt the cool air swirl around he. "Stupid Eiji." She muttered under her breath.

Although she was mad at Eiji she couldn't help but notice how right he was, which only upset her more. Everyone from her past had died nearly a thousand years ago, while she was sealed away inside a statue.

It wasn't long before Sanjo found herself near the edge of the city, in a large park area. Everything past this was part of the forest that surrounded most of Hikarienma's border.

'_Come on' _Sanjo thought to herself. _'When did you have time for a friend, the only person you had growing up was..._

"Kaji?"Said aloud, stopping dead in her tracks.

Sitting by a small duck pond was a man draped in white robes. He was surrounded by a group of small children who were laughing along with him.

"And when we fold here," The man said. "We have our swan." The man lifted his palm, showing the crowd an origami swan. He leaned over the duck pond and gently laid the swan in the water. Rather than crumbling away, the paper swan floated perfectly on the water. The children around him cheered with joy as the swan floated over to several other origami animals, including a frog and a crane.

Sanjo watched in disbelief as the figure stood up. "Sorry kids." He said. "I am all out of paper." He looked up at Sanjo and gave a casual wave. "Oh hey, sis!"

"K-Kaji..." Sanjo repeated. Kaji walked towards her, leaving the kids to watch the origami animals as they continued to float.

"Have I called you an idiot yet?" Hideo asked Eiji. The two were running around the city, trying to find Sanjo.

"Repeatedly," Eiji replied. "Yes, I know I get it." The two stopped for a moment to catch their breath. They had searched several blocked already, but Sanjo was nowhere to be found. "It just slipped out. I didn't mean to be rude to her, honestly.

"Yeah, well know we have a problem. We have a girl from the past wandering around the city." Hideo said. "She still hasn't gotten used to modern life yet. She never even thought to take this." Hideo held up a cell phone. "Gin gave this to her too keep in contact but she never takes it anywhere."

"What's the worst that can happen?" Eiji asked. "I mean she can use all that magic, and she has her OniChanger if anything goes wrong."

"Oi!" Hideo exclaimed. "She could still get lost, or one of those cloaked Kurayami could ambush her, we can't let her get too far by herself." Hideo walked off, followed by the reluctant Eiji.

Sanjo and Kaji sat by the small duck pond. Sanjo watched the man silently as he fed the ducks crumbs from a small loaf of bread. "What's the matter? Kaji said. "You don't seem very happy to see me."

"I did not...I mean I..."Sanjo stammered. "I mean, of course. It is good to see your face. But I do not understand. You should be..."

"Dead?" Kaji answered. "Well you should still be a statue." He smiled. "I guess we both got lucky."

Sanjo continued to stare at Kaji, still unsure of who she was seeing.

"Still do nott believe me, then?" Kaji sighed. "Alright then, ask me anything."

Before Sajno had the chance to ask anything to her brother, she felt a sudden and familiar aura.

"I sense it too." Kaji said as they looked around the park. The shadows of the surrounding trees began to spread across the ground. A small group of Kagedorōn rose from the shadows, surrounding the pond and trapping Sanjo and Kaji.

"Stay back, Kaji." Sanjo said as she withdrew her OniChanger.

"Oh please, you are not the only one who fought these things." Kaiji retorted, holding up his fists. "Do not forget, I was the one chosen for your Fukumen."

Sanjo glanced at Kaji, and then immediately to the ground. "Ningen Chant." She muttered, regaining her focus. "OniChange!"

In a flash of blue light, Sanjo was transformed into OniBlue. She ran jumped towards the Kurayami alongside her brother, who had withdrawn a slender quarter staff from within his cloak.

"Ah Mou," Eiji cried to Hideo as they continued their search. So far they had visited the few places they had visited with Sanjo, mostly previous battlefields and the train station. "There's nowhere else she would know to go." Eiji slumped down on the stairs leading to the station with a sigh in his voice.

"We've been looking for hours now." Hideo said. "She's probably found her way back to the museum. Give Gin a call and see if he's seen her."

As if on cue, Hideo's own cell phone began to ring.

"You're getting good at that." Eiji said with a smile.

"Shut up." Hideo retorted as he answered the phone. "Gin, have you seen Sanjo?"

"No," Gin replied. "But I can probably guess where she is." He was standing in the basement room, staring down at the remains of Sanjo's crystal ball, which were glowing blue. Within the shards, faint images of OniBlue could be seen, fighting the Kurayami.

OniBlue and Kaji swung their staves high as they fought their way through the remaining Kagedorōn. "So they can assume a physical form again, huh?" Kaji pondered as he smacked one of the Kagedorōn's heads with the base of his staff.

"It is a long story." Sanjo replied as she sent a wave of blue magic towards the same Kagedorōn, obliterating it. "I will explain later."

"So you're convinced it is me then?" Kaji asked with a smirk as the two of them struck the remaining Kagedorōn with their staves, sending it to the ground. "Good, because I have questions."

The two watched as the bodies of the Kagedorōn faded into a black mist, seeping back into the shadows. "The Kagedorōn are attacking, the Kurayami are starting to rise, and you are no longer sealed away." Is there anything you'd like to explain, Sanjo?"

OniBlue reached for her mask and pulled it away from her face. The mask and her OniRanger uniform dissolved in a soft, blue light. Sanjo's eyes were watering up as she stared at her brother. "I-I messed everything up, Kaji." She said, breaking down into tears.

For the next fifteen minutes, Sanjo and Kaji sat by the pond while she explain the story of everything that had happened to her since she was freed from the statue. She told him about how the Kurayami appeared and stole the mask of the Kurayami's master, and how she scattered the remaining masks to keep the Kurayami from releasing their strongest Oni.

"It is my entire fault." Sanjo said. She was resting her head on her brother's shoulder as tears slowly fell from her eyes. "I did not think it through enough, and now we have no power to fight what is coming."

"Hey hey hey," Kaji said, wrapping his arm around his sister's shoulder. "It is okay. The masks will turn up eventually. You said one already did."

"And it nearly cost Hideo and Eiji's lives." Sanjo exclaimed. "They don't fully understand the danger they are in, and I am forcing it upon them."

"Sanjo!" Hideo called out. The two boys finally arrived to the park. They both stood there, shocked by what they were seeing."

"Hideo..." Sanjo said, wearily. "And Eiji..."

"Sanjo, get away!" Eiji cried out. The two boys withdrew their OniChangers.

"Guys, what are you doing?" Sanjo said. "This is my brother, Kaji. He's alive."

Kaji still held her against his shoulder. He glared at the two boys, as if angered by their arrival. "So these are the two boys claiming to be Ningen Warriors?"

"Sanjo, we said get away from their!" Hideo roared. He glanced at Eiji, who had a frightened look on his face. Hideo knew why, but for some reason Sanjo did not. For they could not see Kaji sitting next to Sanjo. All they could see was a slimy, black, Kurayami.

"Sanjo is mine!" The Kurayami roared from what barely passed as a head. The only distinguishing feature of the monster was a partial mask between its shoulders. Its arms were like thick, slimy logs, one of which was tightly wrapped around Sanjo.

"Guys, what's the matter?" She said, oblivious to the slime stuck to her face and hair.

-Fin


	11. Episode 10: Bad Dream

The Leech Kurayami let out a laugh as he watched the OniRangers tremble with anger. It still held Sanjo tightly against its slimy body. The young girl was now asleep, with her body covered in the Kurayami's sticky slime.

OniRed and OniYellow charged towards the Leech Kurayami, removing their YuraYura Kanabou from their belts. Before they could get close, a cluster of Kagedorōn swarmed them, wrapping around the OniRangers with their shadowy tendrils, and blocking the boys from rescuing Sanjo.

"Don't you get it?"The ugly, black monster spoke. "Sanjo is staying with me! As long as she thinks I'm her brother she will never leave my side."

"But why!" OniRed said as he tried to break free from the Kagedorōn's grasp.

"You know what? I'm in a caring mood today so I'm actually going to tell you!" The Kurayami boasted. "She's going to be my supper!"

The Kurayami's stomach tore open, revealing a circular mouth with several sharp teeth. The monster brought Sanjo close, piercing her back with its many fangs. Its stomach closed up again, exposing only Sanjo's slime covered head.

"Sanjo!" OniYellow roared. "You bastard!" The yellow warrior's mask flashed yellow. Using the mask's incredible strength, Eiji ripped through the Kagedorōn that surrounded him.

"Eiji don't!" OniRed cried out as he struggled to get loose. "It's just going to get you too!"

"Like hell it will!" OniYellow snapped back. His Strong Hammer appeared in a flash of light as he jumped high into the air.

"Now, now, Eiji." The Leech Kurayami said softly. "Is that any way to treat me?"

OniYellow gasped as he fell closer to the monster. He watched as the creature faded away, letting an older woman take its place.

"No!" OniYellow said, dropping his Hammer before he landed in front of the woman. Eiji stood silent with trembling legs.

"That's better." The woman said softly as she opened her arms wide. "Now...DIE!" The woman's arms extended, flying towards the immobilized OniYellow. By the time Eiji could shake off whatever spell he was under, the monster's thick black tentacles slammed against his chest. The yellow warrior was knocked back, landing several feet away from OniRed.

"Eiji!"OniRed yelled at his fallen comrade. "That does it!"

OniRed's mask flashed in a small burst of red light as his Skilled Sword appeared in his hand. Using his mask's gift of Skill, He flicked his sword up into the air. The small blade fell back to the ground, slicing through the Kagedorōn's grip.

With a spin, OniRed sliced through the shadowy monsters that surrounded him. Each one fell to the ground, exploding into puffs of black smoke.

"Kuma Fukumen!" OniRed commanded. With a wave of his hand, Hideo's red mask dissolved in a red glow. The glow faded into an orange hue as OniRed donned the Kumo Fukumen, adorned with a large spider on its forehead.

"Spider Shot!" OniRed called out as his orange shotgun – designed very much like a large spider, appeared in his hands.

"Go ahead and shoot!" The Leech Kurayami challenged. "But what if you hit Sanjo?"

Hideo hesitated for a moment. His finger lightly tapped against the gun's trigger as he tried to figure out his options.

"Good boy."The monster said. "I hate it when my dinner get's burned." The monster's slimy arm rubbed over Sajno's head. "I like my humans fresh."

"You sick bastard." Hideo said, not taking his aim off of the Kurayami. "Why does Sanjo think you're her brother? What did you do to Eiji to make him stop his attack?

"Too many questions." The Kurayami complained. "I don't like think too much on an empty stomach. I'll tell you all you want after I've eaten your friend here. In fact, why not make this a little fun."

"I'm not playing any of your games, Kurayami!" Hideo yelled back. "Just let her go!"

"Sorry, can't do that. Once I've sunk my teeth in her she can never leave my body." The Kurayami laughed. "That is, not until I've drained of every last bit of energy she has left."

"You have six hours." The monster continued. "That's about how long I'd say she has left before she dies. Let's see if you can find me before then. I'll even give you a hint – humans can't pass into the Shadow World."

The monster let out a laugh as the defeated Kagedorōn spun around him in a twister of black smoke. Within seconds, both the smoke and the Kurayami were gone.

OniRed helplessly stared at the spot the Kurayami once stood, his gun still held high. "Damn it." He cursed under his breath as he ran towards OniYellow.

The yellow barbarian was sprawled out on his back. His torso was covered in the Kurayami's slime. "Let's get you back." Hideo said as his OniRanger attire dissolved in a soft glow.

The cloud of black smoke reappeared in a large, empty building. Sanjo's, still unconscious, protruded from its torso, her head was all that was visible. "Oh wow, she's defiantly a lot tastier than I thought she would be." It said, flopping down on a crate. "I'm going to enjoy this one."

"You're disgusting." Kibala said as she stepped out of the shadows. "You do know that, don't you?"

"Heh. You're one to talk, Kibala." The Leech Kurayami mocked. "I've seen what you used to look like."

"Don't talk with your mouth full." Kibala retorted. "Now, hand over her mask."

"Sorry, no can do." The Kurayami said, patting its stomach. "Like I told her friends, I can't open up again until she's dust."

"Fantastic." Kibala sarcastically moaned as she sat on another crate. "I guess he knew that when he ordered me here." The cloaked woman let out a sigh. "Can't you drain her any faster?"

"It's not up to me, sorry." The Kurayami said. "She's under the effects of my hallucinogenic slime. Her mind is being rushed will every negative emotion in her life. The more sorrow she feels, the weaker her body gets. I estimated six hours, which compared to most humans I've eaten is a very long time. She has plenty of negative energy to feed on."

Eiji's eyes slowly opened. His vision was blurry, but he could defiantly make out the ceiling of the museums underground room. After a few seconds he remembered what happened. "Sanjo?" He cried out as he jumped from the couch.

Gin ran into the room. "Eiji, you're awake. That proves a lot of theories." A large smile grew on his face

"Gin, Where's Sanjo?" Eiji snapped. "Please say we got her."

Gin's smile disappeared. "No, I'm sorry." He replied. "Hideo had me pick you up right after the battle. He didn't say much, except that a Kurayami took Sanjo."

Eiji thought back to what the Kurayami had transformed into. "No, Gin. I think it's much worse than that."

"Sanjo!" Kaji yelled out. He was sitting in a small hut cooking from a small pot on an open fire. "Ningen no Sanjo, get in here!"

A small child entered the hut, a girl no more than six years old. She was wearing a fresh, blue kimono and her hair was done up in a neat bun. "Brother, look!" She said giggling as she twirled around.

"My my, what a proper lady." Kaji said with a smile. "All ready for the festival then?"

Sanjo nodded. "Yup, Miss Kaze did my hair and she said she would do my make-up once she's finished forcing Kizoku into his formal clothes!"

"Well, eat some dinner before that," Kaji said. "And try not to get any on your clothes. It took me forever to make."

"Okay!" The young Sanjo said as she sat down next to her brother as they enjoyed their meal.

An older Sanjo watched the two from across the hut. The others did not seem to notice she was there. "This is..." She muttered, focusing her gaze on the huts entrance.

Two elderly men entered the hut. Their robes, which had once been a vibrant white, were now stained with dirt and blood their faces were obscured with the Red and Yellow Fukumen respectively.

"Elder Shaman," Kaji said as he quickly stood up, nearly spilling his stew as he did so. "Please, make yourselves at home, would you like some stew."

"Kaji." The red masked man interrupted. "Perhaps we should speak outside."

Kaji glanced back at his little sister. "Very well." He said, following the two men out of the hut.

Sanjo watched as her younger counterpart crept towards the entrance, eavesdropping on the adult's conversation.

"I remember this part..." She whispered to herself. "This is the day my parents died."

In a flash, Sanjo was standing out in a small field in front of her stood a small group of people.

"The funeral..." Sanjo said again. "No, do not make me remember that..." She cried out, closing her eyes tightly. When she opened them again she was standing right in front of two wooden caskets, forced to relive that devastating moment.

The funeral had ended. The young Sanjo stood over the freshly buried graves of her parents. She was wearing the same blue kimono – once meant to be a party dress and now a dress of mourning.

Kaji approached the grave, placing his hand on his sister's shoulder. "Come on." He said softly. "Let us go home."

"Kaji" The older Sanjo called out to her brother as she watched him lift her younger self into his arms. After that, everything went dark.

Gin sat at his small workbench, holding a vial in his hand. Across from him, Eiji paced back and forth around the room.

"This is some of the Kurayami's slime I extracted from your clothes." He said to Eiji calmly. "While you were unconscious I sent some off to one of my father's labs to be analysed."

"How can you be thinking of science at a time like this?" Eiji exclaimed. "We should be out there with Hideo looking for Sanjo."

"Not until I know you are no longer under the Kurayami's spell." Gin said, opening the bottle of slime.

"Spell, what spell?" Eiji stammered.

"Well, from what you've told me, Sanjo thinks a large slimy monster is her brother." Gin explained. "You also hesitated attacking it so it must have played a similar trick on you."

Eiji sat down on the couch, thinking back to the woman he saw. "Yeah, and it doesn't mind playing dirty either." The boy clenched his fists. Hr couldn't help but feel useless. "How long do you plan on keeping me here?"

"Oh, I say another hour." Gin said, picking up a chart from his desk. "Your blood work was clean but I still think you're a little fidgety."

"How much time does Sanjo have left?" Eiji asked.

"Four hours." Gin stated. He stood there silent for a moment before walking towards the elevator. "I'm going to call Hideo and get an update. Try to keep yourself busy." Gin turned back to face Eiji. "We're going to get her back."

Eiji sighed as he watched Gin disappear in the elevator. He sat down next to Gin's workbench and picked up the vial of slime. "Gross." He mumbled before tossing it aside. He glanced around the desk, finally resting his eyes on the remains of Sanjo's crystal ball.

"I really am an idiot." He said outloud.

"You are going to have to stay with Miss Kaze for a while." Kaji said. The younger Sanjo had aged a few years and did not look to happy with Kaji right now.

"Ten years old." The older Sanjo said as she walked around what was once her small home.

"No!" The younger Sajno cried. Tears were already streaming down her face.

"The Shamans chose me to take over father's duties." Kaji said as he packed his things. "They have found another Kurayami-Taii and they need me to help them seal it into another mask." Kaji reached into his pouch and pulled out the Blue Fukumen. "We only have five so far, even after all of these years. The Oni are advancing quickly – I need to do my part."

The young Sanjo was silent for a long time. Her older counterpart could remember exactly what she was thinking back then.

"You are just going to die like our parents." Sanjo said as she cried softly. "You can't abandon me too!" She shouted at Kaji before running out of the hut.

Almost immediately, Sanjo was standing by a small river. She watched as her younger self ran towards it, still crying.

"Stupid Kaji." The young Sanjo whimpered as she sat down alongside the riverbank. "W-Why can't he just stay..."

The older Sanjo sat down beside her younger self. This had always been her favorite spot as a child, but had long since been paved over by Hikarienma.

Something floated down the river that caught both Sanjos' attention. Several paper origami creatures bobbed across the water, never sinking of dissolving in the water.

The young Sanjo turned her head to see her brother standing there, dropping them in the water.

"You always come here to cry," Kaji said softly, "Ever since our parents died." He smiled a little. "It was mother that showed me how to make these. She was going to teach you too when you were old enough."

Before Sanjo could say a word Kaji walked up to her. He once again removed the Blue Fukumen from his pouch. "I am going to teach you how to do that, because that is what mother would have done to make you happy. That's why I have to fight, because that is what father would have done to keep you safe."

Kaji extended his free hand to his sister. "So I have no choice but to come back alive, because I have to teach you origami for our mother."

Sanjo stared up at her older brother. "Kaji...you idiot." She said as a smile grew on her face. The young girl grabbed her brother's hand and the two walked off down the river, following the origami creatures that floated down the bank.

The older Sanjo sat there, watching the two walk away. "Kaji..." She wimpered. "You liar..."

The Leech Kurayami let out a mighty burp. "Woah!" It said, rubbing its stomach. "That was a good one."

Kibala groaned as she stretched out along the crate. "It's been three hours!" She complained. "I could be out searching for the Catalyst right now."

"The Catalyst?" The Kurayami laughed. "You don't know what this mission is do you?"

"What do you mean, worm?" Kibala snapped, sitting upright.

"Oh, do tell." Hideo called out from the warehouse door. "I love history lessons."

"The Ningen pup keeps barking for more?" Kibala chuckled. "You came at a bad time, boy. I'm ever so bored."

"Sorry, I don't have time to entertain you, Kibala." Hideo said as he raised his OniChanger.

"Ningen Chant, OniChange!" Hideo exclaimed. His body was draped in a glow of red light as he transformed into OniRed.

"Heh. Let me take care of this one." The Leech said. "He won't be able to raise a fist against me."

"We'll see." OniRed said as he withdrew his YuraYura Kanabou.

The ten year old Sanjo watched in horror as Kaji's body was carried back into the streets by several men in robes. Kaji's white garments were torn to shreds and soaked in blood. Sanjo knew right away that Kaji was dead.

The elder Sanjo looked away, unable to watch the same sight a second time. When she turned around she was back in the hut, where the young Sanjo now sat with the red masked shaman.

"The Kurayami were expecting our attack." The man explained to the young Sanjo. "We would all have died if your brother had not used his magic in time."

The young Sanjo sat there in silence for a long time. "Did you get the Kurayami?" She finally asked.

"Unfortunately, no." The man replied. "By the time we cleared through the Kagedorōn and a few higher class-Oni, the Taii had already vanished."

"Then my brother died for nothing?" Sanjo asked again.

"Your brother died protecting four other men." The man replied as he stood up. "He is a hero, Sanjo. Just like your parents. They died defending our people. You are too young to understand now but one day you will."

The older Sanjo wiped the tears away from her eyes. "I lost everything I was that day." She said to herself as she watched the hut fade away, replaced by the field once again.

She was alone. No illusions of her former self. No Kaji. Instead her only companions were countless gravestones. Three stuck out – her parents and her brother. A thousand years later even their bones will have disappeared along with the rest of the Ningen tribe.

"The Kurayami live and yet I have nothing." Sanjo yelled. "Why did you abandon me! Why was I the one that got to survive?"

OniRed jumped around the Leeches tentacles as the monster swung wildly at the red warrior. "Why!" The monster roared. "Why aren't you hesitating?"

"Sorry, Slime-Ball, I guess I'm too well adjusted for your tricks." OniRed mocked. "Let's see how you do against mine?"

The OniRanger's Skilled Sword appeared in his free hand as he jumped over another one of the monster's attacks. "I'm getting Sanjo no matter what."

"Hah, free Sanjo now and she's as good as dead." The Leech Kurayami laughed. "She has less than a couple of hours now. It's all downhill for her from here."

"You liar!" Eiji roared as he ran into the warehouse. In a fit of anger, Eiji tossed something at the monster, smacking it in its eye.

"Ah!" The creature said, stammering. "What the hell?" The monster looked down at what had struck him – a large can of glue.

"Glue?" The creature asked. "Where the hell did you get that?"

"I've been busy." Eiji said. "I had a lot of time to kill before Gin would let me leave." Eiji raised his OniChanger. "We also took the time to figure out your little trick." In a flash of yellow light Eiji was transformed into OniYellow.

"Hideo," OniYellow called out. "Go ahead and gut this guy open."

"My fangs have already bitten her." The monster demanded We're connected until she's drained dry."

"Except it's not your fangs is it?" Gin called out as he followed Eiji into the room. "It's that slime you are so proud of."

"The slime?" Hideo repeated. He immediately checked himself for any traces of the goo that landed on his body. So far he was clean.

"Somehow, the slime affects the memory centers of the brain, causing bad memories." Gin continued. "I'm guess that smell is what makes us hallucinate that he's somebody else." Gin clenched his fists. "For example right now all I can see is my father. I know it's not him, in my heart I know it's not him, but my mind is trying to tell me different."

"The slime that covered my tunic had absorbed traces of my mask's energy. I didn't feel any of the effects because I was transformed at the time. If that slime was still touching the Kurayami I would have probably ended up like Sanjo."

"So you've been lying to me this whole time?" Kibala roared at the Leech Kurayami. "At least I never fell for your other tricks.

"It was enough to keep you all amused." The Kurayami said. "Good job to all of you, but you are still so very wrong."

The Kurayami's body began to dissolve, transforming into a shapeless cloud of darkness. Sanjo floated in the cloud as it began to take another shape, forming along white cloak. Inside the cloak was a figure wearing a blank, white mask. In one hand, he held a slender quarter-staff. In the other, he held Sanjo over his shoulder, now clean of the slime.

"Impossible." Kibala roared."What are you?"

"That's a heavy question." The man said. "Let's just say I'm your side this time, Kibala."

"You, let Sanjo go now!" Eiji roared as he reached for his Kanabou.

"Sure, here. I'm done with her anyway." The man said as he lifted the girl up with his free hand. With incredible strength, the man threw the Sanjo towards OniYellow, who caught her just before she hit the ground. "I got all I needed."

"B-But what about the plan?" Kibala stammered, utterly confused.

"You don't know the plan." The man said again. "But three Ningen in one room isn't too bad either. I think you've all had enough confusion for one day, so I'll just leave with this little gift." The man snapped his fingers, and disappeared in a cloud of black smoke.

"A gift?" OniRed asked out loud. Seconds later the ground began to shake. The roof of the building was torn off by a giant Kagedorōn.

Kibala began to laugh. "I see. So that's who it is." The woman turned to the OniRangers. "Good luck." She said sarcastically as she faded into the shadows.

"Eiji, Gin, get Sanjo to safety." OniRed said. "I should be able to take care of this guy."

"But Hideo..." OniYellow protested.

"You've got an apology to make." OniRed demanded. "We can't have you accidently getting killed before you do."

OniRed ran a few steps before jumping into the air. "Oni Dai Henge!" He cried out as he transformed into the large, Red OniTitan.

The titan stood over the city, facing the large Kagedorōn. Four more rose up from the shadows, surrounding Hideo. "You'll need more back-up than that." The titan said.

The circular hole in the Titan's chest began to glow orange. "Fukumen Spider!" He called out. The orange light flew from the titan's chest, floating up into the air.

The light began to take shape, forming the large, almost mechanical-like spider. The Fukumen Spider jumped towards the Kagedorōn in front of them. The spider wrapped its legs around the shadow creature, snapping at it with its fangs.

Hideo jumped towards another Kagedoron, kicking it in the chest. Moving in total synchronization, the titan and the spider threw their targets into the air, smashing them into each other.

"Kage Gekitai!" The Red Titan roared. Its golden mask slammed its self over his metallic face as a beam of red energy fired from his chest. The beam struck the two shadow monsters as they fell, destroying them instantly.

"And for you three, Ningen Gattai!" Hideo called out as he jumped into the air. The Fukumen Spider broke apart, its pieces flying towards the Red Titan.

Donning its new armor, the Kumo OniTitan watched as the three Kagedoron charged towards him. "Kumo Gattaling!" He cried out. From the tips of the spider-s legs, which hung from the tians back, began to fire a follow of lasers from their tips. Hideo spun around, making sure each Kagedorōn got its share.

The monsters fell, exploding in a wave of black smoke. The titan watched as Gin's van drove down the streets, carrying Eiji and the unconscious Sanjo. "We got away to easy." He said, watching as the sun began to set.

Sanjo's eyes finally opened. She was in her bed, dressed in a light blue night gown. She sat up and looked around the tiny bedroom. Had it all been some weird dream?

"Good, you're up." Hideo said as he entered the room. "You had us worried."

"Kaji!" Sanjo exclaimed, looking around the room. "Where..."

Hideo raised his hand to interrupt Sanjo. "We've got a lot to talk about once your well. For now let's just say we're glad you're okay."

Eiji stepped into the room. "Sanjo..." he said, keeping his eyes to the ground.

"Oh yeah, and Eiji has something to say." Hideo said, slapping Eiji on the back. "Gin said there was something he wanted to show me, so I'll just leave you two alone."

"You're a pal..." Eiji said, glaring as Hideo as he walked away.

He turned to Sanjo, who was staring at him with cold eyes."Sanjo..." Eiji stammered, trying to find the right words. "I'm sorry!" He yelled, bowing as low as he could. "And..." He continued, standing up straight. "...here." He said, reaching into his pocket.

Sanjo's eyes looked down at the crystal ball Eiji held in his palm. The shattered pieces had been put back together with pale yellow glue. Several small pieces were still missing. "I know it's not perfect, but it was the least I could do."

"Sanjo, I'm not going to ask what that Kurayami put you through." Eiji said. Once again he recalled the woman that the monster had transformed into to keep him from attacking. "I just want you to know that you have family here, and you have friends.

Sanjo stared silently as Eiji for a long time before finally breaking out in laughter. "Eiji you really are an idiot." She said softly. She placed her palm over the ball in Eiji's hand, enveloping in with a soft blue glow of light. When Sanjo moved her hand away, the crystal ball was restored to its former beauty. "But you are a very sweet idiot. I am glad to call you family."

Gin and Hideo stood outside the room, pressed against the wall, and eavesdropping on the conversation. "Finally, there might be some peace and quiet around here." Gin whispered.

-Fin


	12. Episode 11: Hokkaido's Cave

"Ah Mou! It's too hot!" Eiji complained. He was stepping off a small aeroplane along with Hideo, and Gin. The four were standing outside a tiny airport in the middle of a large, desert wasteland.

"Stop complaining." Hideo said with a hit of annoyance in his voice. "It was bad enough listening to you snore the whole ride here. Only you could be annoying when you're awake and asleep."

"Both of you stop shouting." Gin said, grabbing the two boys by the shoulder. He was dressed not unlike Indiana Jones, with a "Someone go help Sanjo, she's still in the bathroom."

Sanjo tightly hugged the toilet in the small bathroom compartment of the aircraft. Her first time flying was not a very enjoyable one.

After dragging Sanjo out of the plane, the four were escorted into the airports tiny building. It was sparsely furnished and, besides the group, was empty.

"Welcome to the Monte Desert!" Gin said, beaming. "The other side of the world. Of all the places for a Fukumen to appear, this certainly is a good place to pick."

"Indeed." Sanjo agreed. "We are well outside the boundary. I doubt we will encounter a Kurayami here."

"Then I don't know why I needed to come" Hideo said. "I have my other mask already. We're missing school because of this - again."

"Only you could ruin a vacation like this, Hideo." Eiji sighed. "Now let's try and get some service here."

"I can't believe it." Ohjah grumbled as he paced up and down the aisles of the dark castle's' main chamber. "The Ningen are on their way to another mask and all the old man thinks about is obtaining the Catalyst."

"It's not like we can do anything else, Ohjah." Kibala said. She was stretched out along her master's throne, gently caressing the black and red mask that held her lord. "We can't get anywhere near that wretched mask because of the Ningen barrier. If he wants to go out searching for it on his own, so be it."

"There must be some way," Ohjah hissed, "A way to get them before they find it. We can't let them get any stronger."

"Well then, perhaps I can help." A voice said with a chuckle. From the open doorway, the cloaked figure entered the room.

"You!" Ohjah hissed. "How dare you enter our lord's chamber?" With a flick of his arm, Ohjah flung his sword at the man. The sword's handle uncoiled from Ohjah's arm like a snake as the sword grew closer to the figure.

The man calmly took a step to the right, letting the sword pass by him; which them dug itself in to the doorframe.

"Oh please." The man said. "You're just upset because you fell for my little magic trick." With a soft glow the man transformed into the Leech Kurayami and back again. "Although I must say I don't care much for the slime."

"Who are you?" Kibala asked, removing herself from the throne. "How you were able to incapacitate that pest Sanjo and knock her pets down easily."

"A magician never reveals his tricks, my dear." The man said. "But for now, you may refer to me as Kasei, simply Kasei." Kasei walked closer towards the throne, pushing past the two cloaked Kurayami. With complete disregard, he sat down in the large, black chair.

"Have you come here simply to gloat or do you have an agenda?" Ohjah asked as he ripped his sword from the wall.

"I think it's pretty obvious." Kasei replied. "The Ningen are outside the barrier, so is the Fukumen. I'm here to help you." The white garbed man stood up from the throne, straightening his robe as he did so. "I'll go there myself."

"Are you saying that you can leave this area?" Kibala said, unconvinced. "Just what are you anyway?"

"Like I said," Kasei boasted as he walked back down the aisle. "I'm not about to reveal my tricks to you." With a wave, Kasei left the throne room leaving Kibala and Ohjah in a stunned silence.

Hideo, Eiji, Sanjo, and Gin walked across the rocky desert; all of them dressed in beige shirts and shorts. Hideo and Eiji were keeping their heads safe with baseball caps while Gin had opted for the traditional safari hat. Sanjo protected both her head and her face with what resembled Moroccan shesh that she conjured up using her magic.

"Gin, how far did you say this cave was anyway?" Hideo asked. He was frustratingly trying to bend the beak of his cap into a suitable shape.

"About we should be nearly there but the place is going to be swarming with archeologists." Gin replied. "A cave that appeared out of nowhere defiantly caught some attention. It certainly got mine."

"It does indeed sound like magic." Sanjo stated. "We must be careful not to let anyone get hurt."

"Like you said, Sanjo." Eiji said as he twisted his cap backward. "There are no Kurayami here; we are safe to do as we please. For once everything is on our side."

The group walked up to a small cliff. Below them, they could see the cave. Amongst the grey and brown rocks that naturally stuck up from the ground, the cave stood out against them all. Composed of dark green, quartz-like material; it certainly did catch the attention of many people.

About a dozen or so archeologists had set up camp outside the cave. Large tents were scattered along the ground, some for shelter and some for research.

"Look at the logo on the side of those tents." Gin explained. "They are part of a research team from Kyoto. As soon as I heard they were coming I knew I had to follow."

"How are we going to get in there?" Eiji whispered to Hideo "I doubt they are going to let a bunch of teens stroll into the cave with an eccentric millionaire."

"You would be surprised what kind of perks being an eccentric millionaire can be." Gin replied with a smile, clearly still able to hear Eiji. "Come on."

The three teens exchanged glances before following Gin closer to the site.

As they entered the camp, they were immediately stopped by an old man in a dusty lab coat. "Hey you four," he exclaimed. "You can't be here!"

"It's okay." Gin replied. He withdrew his wallet and pulled out an ID card. "I'm Doctor Izumi Gin from the Hikari Museum and these three are my interns."

Hideo, Eiji, and Sanjo once again exchanged looks.

"We're here to take a look at the cave." Gin continued

"Sorry, Doctor Izumi." The man said, sounding slightly unconvinced. "But you're wasting your time. The cave only goes in a few yards before it cuts off. Not much to see."

"A cave shows up in the middle of nowhere and there's nothing to see?" Hideo said, bluntly.

"Your intern should learn to watch what he says." The man grunted. "We want to study it but we can't. Nothing we have here can break through that rock."

"See, now that sounds like something worth seeing." Gin insisted.

The man sighed. "Fine, we are packing up to leave anyway. The only one left in there is Professor Hokkaido. She's just as stubborn as you are."

"Professor Hokkaido? As in Tomoko Hokkaido?" Gin enthusiastically repeated.

Gin turned to face the others as the man walked away. "This might be easier than we thought." He boasted. "Hokkaido used to be part of my father's research team. She helped dig up a lot of the Ningen artifacts that are in the museum."

The group entered the cave. True to what they were told, it didn't go very far in. The lights that the research team had set up were illuminating the rock, giving the cave an eerie green glow as it reflected off its quartz-like surface.

Crouched down in front of the back wall, a woman was vigorously banging against the stone with a small pick. Her increasing frustration made it clear that she was making no progress whatsoever. Scattered around her were several more picks, all broken in some form or another.

"I told you, I'm not leaving yet." Tomoko stated bluntly as she banged away on the rocks.

"Don't worry, we're not going anywhere." Gin called out. "Not until I've said hello."

The woman stopped her work and turned around. "Gin?" Her frustrated expression quickly changed into a wide grin.

By the time night had fallen, the camp had been evacuated. The only people that remained in the tent were Hideo, Gin, and Tomoko. The young teen watched silently Gin and Tomoko reminisced about their past.

"But enough about me." Gin continued, "What have you digging yourself into in the past few years?"

"The same as the last time we met." Tomoko replied. "Trying to solve the mysteries that no one else cared about, just like your father taught us. Like that cave for example"

"Well don't worry." Hideo stepped in. "Sanjo is an expert in this sort of stuff."

"Honey," Tomoko interjected. "I think I've been doing this sort of thing a little longer than she has.

Hideo tried his best not to smirk as he sipped on his coffee. He wasn't sure if telling Tomoko about Sanjo's millennia of sleep would be a good idea.

"Any luck yet?" Eiji asked. He was leaning against the entrance of the cave, watching as Sanjo walked across the small room.

"Indeed." Sanjo replied. "I sensed it as soon as we approached; this is Demonstone."

"Demonstone?" Eiji repeated. "'I think I slept through that class."

"It is the material my people used in the construction of the Fukumen." Sanjo explained. "We used it to tune our Ningen Chants into Oni Chants to seal the Kurayami into the masks. We could only mine it using powerful spells. I am not even sure I can cut it myself."

"That explains why no one could get a sample."Eiji said as he walked deeper into the small cave.

"True. However I have read every book in Gin's library since I awoke. As far as I can tell there is no more Demonstone on Earth. This can only be the result of a Fukumen appearing in the area."

"Great." Eiji moaned. "So we're practically on top of the thing and we can't even get it."

"Well then I guess you won't mind if I take it then." Kasei said calmly as he stepped into the cave. "Then again, I'm not really leaving you with much choice am I?"

"You..." Sanjo muttered. Her mind raced as she thought back to the man's tricks.

"You bastard." Eiji cursed. "So cocky you won't even disguise yourself this time?"

"Nah, I'm done with that lame parlour trick" Kasei replied. "This time I'm here on business."

"Too bad!" Eiji shouted as he ran towards the white robed man. In a bright yellow flash, the yellow OniRanger transformed. Wielding the large StrongHammer and his mighty strength, OniYellow smashed into Kasei, knocking them both out of the cave.

Hideo and Gin leapt out of their tent in time to watch Kasei and Eiji roll into the camp. Sanjo followed, joining the rest of the group. "This is impossible." Sanjo said. "A Kurayami cannot be this far outside."

"Just another mystery to solve." Hideo replied. "Gin, get the Professor out of here."

Hideo and Sanjo stood side by side, withdrawing their OniChangers from their pockets. "Ningen Chant!" They simultaneously shouted. "Oni Change!"

Lights of red and blue flew from the OniChangers, enveloping the Ningens' faces. In a flash they were transformed into their OniRanger forms.

By this time, Kasei had regained his composure and was easily dodging the rest of OniYellow's swings.

"Oh please, don't stop." Kasei laughed. "Your actually giving me a nice breeze in this humid air."

"Then perhaps you will like this cool down." Sanjo called out. "Mystic Staff!"

OniBlue's staff appeared in her hands. She spun it wildly as she jumped into the air.

"Ningen Chant: Reifubuki!" She yelled out as she floated over Kasei. With a swing of her staff, launched a tundra of magical snow towards him.

OniYellow jumped back just in time to watch the snow crash onto Kasei. The drift exploded as the robed man jumped towards OniBlue.

"SpiderShot!" OniRed shouted as his Kumo Fukumen appeared on his helmet. The spider-shaped shotgun appeared in his hand. He aimed towards Kasei and fired a blast of orange energy towards him.

"Oni Chant!" Kasei yelled. "Amakage!"Infront of him, a black portal opened up, swallowing OniRed's attack. At the same time he grabbed OniBlue's staff as she fell closer towards him. Kasei pulled her out of the air, sending her crashing into OniRed. In that exact same moment, another portal opened behind OniYellow, sending the orange blast of energy towards him. The blast struck him in the back, knocking him down into the group.

"Pathetic." Kasei said as he landed softly onto the ground. "And to think the others have been having so much trouble with you. This is going to be easier than I thought."

Kasei turned his back on the OniRangers and headed back towards the cave. Gin and Tomoko were standing there, watching in horror.

"Tomoko..." Gin whimpered, "Let's go!"

"No!" Tomoko stated bluntly. "I'm not leaving my research."

"Oh don't worry; I'm not here for that." Kasei said, raising his hand into the air. "There's something much more important underneath these rocks."

"Ningen Chant: Koushōji" OniBlue called out. A square of light appeared between Kasei and Gin. OniBlue jumped out from the square, swinging the bladed tip of her staff wildly at the man.

"You just don't get it, do you?" Kasei scoffed. Once more, he effortlessly grabbed Sanjo's staff but this time he held a kept a tight grasp. "Your Ningen magic is nowhere near as powerful as my Oni magic, even with your Fukumen of Will."

"You are able to perform Oni Chants developed by my people." Sanjo observed. "The Kurayami's magic is twisted and unrefined, just like they are. That is why their souls have fallen into the shadows."

"Very nice," Kasei complemented, "I didn't think you'd catch onto that so quickly." The white cloaked man paused to watch the remaining OniRangers catch up to the group. "Then I guess I am out of time."

Kasei tossed Sanjo to the ground and raised his arm once more. "Oni Chant: Jigokumon!" He shouted as he slammed his hand onto the ground. The ground began to crack at the point he struck, creating a large line in the ground.

"What's happening?" Tomoko shouted as she jumped out of the crack's path.

"Jigokumon!" Sanjo repeated. "He's going to open a hole in the ground, right underneath us!"

More cracks opened in the ground, forming a small circle that surrounded the camp and the cave. The earth crumbled into pieces, collapsing in the deep hole it was creating. Gin pushed Tomoko back, keeping her outside the hole's edge.

"Let's see your Ningen magic get you out of this." Kasei said as he, and the OniRangers all fell into the hole.

The ground beneath Tomoko's feet gave way. She screamed as she slipped from Gin's grip and tumbled into the gap.

"Tomoko!" He yelled as she disappeared into the darkness. "Hideo...Eiji...Sanjo..."

To be Continued...


	13. Episode 12: The Cavern

Hideo, Eiji, Sanjo, Gin, and Tomoko fell, helplessly, down the large hole that Kasei had moments before opened up. Much dirt and debris fell with them.

"Act fast!" OniRed shouted. Still wearing his Kumo Fukumen, he put his masks powers to good use. From a small nozzle on the lip of the orange mask, OniRed shot a thick line of webbing towards one if the larger rocks that were falling. Grabbing Sanjo by the arm, he pulled the web tightly with his free arm, launch in the two onto the rock.

"Eiji!" Hideo commanded, looking up at the freefalling OniYellow. "Grab the professor!"

"On it!" OniYellow responded, grabbing the nearby professor. "Great, now we are all doomed together…"

"Perhaps not." Sanjo exclaimed as they got closer and closer to the ground. With her free hand she waved her Mystic staff in the air. Below them, a large circle of blue clouds appeared above the ground. The clouds floated up, catching the group seconds before their demise.

The clouds faded, resting the group softly on their feet.

"Is everyone okay?" OniRed asked as he pulled the orange mask away. In a flash, OniRed's tunic disappeared, returning the boy to his civilian state.

"I am a little shaken up, but alive." Sanjo replied as the other two OniRanger did the same. Her eyes moved around the small cavern they had landed in. Amonst the grey stone were veins of green, quartz like rock; just like the cave. "More Demonstone."

"Demonstone?" Hideo asked. "What the hell is that?"

"Same stuff the masks are made from," Eiji answered "or something like that."

"Essentially that is correct." Sanjo continued. "The stone's roots are growing even this far down. It must have made these caverns as well."

"But…Tsuji never mentioned any weird stone around the Kumo Fukumen." Hideo queried.

"It is possible that the mask was found before it had a chance to root, or was not deep enough. Demonstone grows very much like a plant."

"What about you-know-who?" Eiji asked. "I lost track of him after we started falling.

"He must have teleported ahead of us." Hideo responded. "I guess he knew we weren't going to fall to our deaths."

"W-Who are you people? Why are you acting like this is normal?" Tomoko cried out, having finally reached her breaking point. Panicking, the professor ran off down one of the two tunnels.

"Great, one more problem." Hideo sighed. "Eiji, go after her. If she runs in to that white cloaked guy she's just going to get herself killed."

"Great," Eiji complained as he jogged off after Tomoko. "I'll just go get myself killed then instead."

"We will follow the roots." Sanjo commanded. "They should lead us to the Fukumen."

The ominous cloaked leader of the Kurayami entered the throne room, swinging the large doors open in anger. "What are you two doing just lying around?" He roared at Kibala and Ohjah, who were sitting silently in the pews. "Not only am I doing all the thinking around here, now I'm the only one doing anything productive."

Ohjah stood up, hissing as he moved towards the other Kurayami. "The Catalyst is clearly not here." He explained. "Meanwhile, while we've been stuck here the Ningen got their hands on the Kura Fukumen. Now it seems that they are after another."

"And we already have somebody's guarantee that they are prevented from finding it." Kibala continued. "So long as he keeps true to his word."

Hideo and Sanjo ran through the tunnel with haste. They had to act fast if they were to beat Kasien to the mask.

"I don't understand." Hideo pondered as they ran. "Kaiden could have finished us off easily back there. Why did he spare us?"

"He is probably just toying with us, like the last time." Sanjo replied. She knew too well how low this monster would steep to get information. The memories of her last encounter with the white cloaked man were still fresh in her mind.

"Then we'd better hurry and get to the mask first." Hideo encouraged. The two disappeared deeper into the caverns, not realizing that they had walked right passed Kasei.

The white cloaked figure hid inside a crevice in the stone, watching the two Ningen as they walked by. "Toy with you?" He laughed to himself. "That's not a bad idea."

The Kurayami reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of small, orange stones. Using his magic, he cast the stones in a must of shadows as he gingerly dropped them onto the ground.

"Professor!" Eiji called out as he strolled through the cave. The only response he received was the echo of his own voice. The boy had been following the woman's echo as she ran, but now the trail had gone silent.

"Damn..." The boy sighed. "I lost her ..." He signed as he leaned against the stone wall. As soon as he touched the wall, the green demonstone veins in the tunnel began to glow. Eiji looked up, watching as the light began to pulse, flowing down the path Eiji traveled.

"Cool." Eiji whispered under his breath. With a shrug, Eiji did the only thing he could do and followed the pulses of light through the tunnel.

The tunnel led Eiji into a small, almost circular room. The green were glowing the brightest here, casting a glow throughout the room. The path seemed to end here, with no other apparent tunnel to move through. However that no longer concerned Eiji.

Tomoko was crouched down by the stone, frantically hacking the wall in front of her with a large pickaxe.

"Professor!" Eiji exclaimed as he jogged towards her. "Come on, we have to get back to the others. We-" Eiji's voice trailed off as he got a closer look at Tomoko's tool. The large pickaxe was completely black, with a pale white aura trailing from it. The archaeologist's expression was blank as continued to work, ignoring Eiji as he shook her.

Hideo stopped running. "This is getting us nowhere!" Hideo shouted. "We're just walking in circles."

"I am starting to agree." Sanjo said. "As powerful as the demonstone is, it should not have made a tunnel this deep. I believe we are being led into a trap."

As if on cue, Hideo and Sanjo were knocked back by a wave of orange energy. Standing in front of them were three creatures. They resembled the shadowy Kagedoron with one large exception - most of their body was comprised of an orange, rock like material that seemed to melt together with the shadows.

The two Ningen warriors composed themselves as they stood to face the creatures. "I thought you said the Kurayami couldn't get this far." Hideo questioned Sanjo.

"It would seem that our white cloaked friend is full of surprises." Sanjo grumbled as she withdrew her OniChanger. "Let us not let him delay us anymore."

"Ningen Chant!" The two warriors cried out, lifting their Changers into the air. "Oni Change!" The small gemstones on top of their OniChangers flashed as the device slid open. Inside were two miniature Fukumen of red and blue respectively. The masks flew out of the device, increasing in size until they reached the warriors faces. The warriors began to glow as the masks attached themselves to their faces. In an instant, they were transformed into their OniRanger forms.

Without hesitation, the two reached for their YuraYura Kanabou and ran towards the group of monsters. OniRed struck one of the monster with his club. The swing bounced off of the stone body of the creature. The force of his swing recoiled back on OniRed, knocking him off of his feet.

OniBlue jumped over OniRed, tossing her Kanabou aside. "Mystic Staff!" She commanded as her magical weapon appeared in her hands. " Reifubuki!" She yelled out, sending a tundra of snow towards the golem-like creatures. The grunts slowed down, but were ultimately un-phased by the attack.

By this time, OniRed was back on his feet. In a flash of orange light he donned the Kumo Fukumen. "How about this?" Hideo exclaimed as the Spider Shot appeared in his hands. "Kumo Shooting!" OniRed roared as he fired the gun, launching a ball of energy towards the monsters.

Hideo and Sanjo gasped as the attack struck the monsters. The orange stone on the creatures' bodies began to glow as the attack was absorbed into them. The golem's rose their arms, firing OniRed's right back at the OniRangers. The two were pushed into the air as the explosion filled the room, engulfing them both.

Eiji turned around as he heard footsteps approaching. Kasei was casually strolling towards the boy and Tomoko, "Isn't it great?" The masked man asked. "Why do all the digging when I have a perfectly good archaeologist to do it for me?"

"You bastard," Eiji growled, clenching his fist" What did you do to her?"

"I just gave her what she wanted." Kasei chuckled. "To find out the secrets hidden in the cave. All she needed was the proper tools. As you know, I am an expert at persuasion." The white cloaked figure moved closer to Tomoko. "The foolish girl didn't even notice the pick was enchanted. Humans."

"Ningen Chant!" Eiji yelled as he was enveloped in yellow light, "Oni Change!" OniYellow swung his large, Strong Hammer at Kasei. The Kurayami simply caught it in his hand.

"You really aren't learning, child." Kasei mocked. He pushed the hammer away and swung a fist at OniYellow, knocking him back. "Now just stay there and watch, I have a feeling we are getting close."

"So..." Eiji groaned as he lay on the ground. "I was going the right way all along."

"And I made sure your friends stayed lost." Kasei laughed again. "Leaving me to take what I need."

OniRed and Blue ran down the cavern, their tunics torn and burned from the explosion. Chasing them were the three 'armoured' Kagedoron that were proving nearly impossible to damage.

"Okay, Sanjo." OniRed challenged, looking back at their pursuers. "Explian this one?"

"It must be demonstone." Sanjo tried to explain. "The same stone your Kumo Fukumen is comprised of. Kasei must have found some before Tsuji took the mask. You won't be able to use their own power against them."

"Okay, so what are our options." OniRed asked.

"We must get them above ground." Sanjo replied. "If we continue to fight them here, we might cause a cave in." The sorceress turned around, waving her magical Mystic Staff.

"Ningen Chant: Koushōji!" OniBlue called out. A square of light appeared between the OniRangers and the golems. OniBlue dragged Hideo through one side, while the monsters ran mindlessly into the other.

Another square appeared just feet away from the large hole created by Kasei. From one side, The OniRangers pushed the golems to the ground. Their upper hand was short lived as the demonstoned Kagedoron swung their hardened fists, pushing the two heroes down once more.

The enchanted Tomoko banged against the large green veins of demonstone.

"That's it," Kasei hummed, watching as the quartz like rock chipped away. "Just a little bit more."

Clack. Clack. Crash! The demonic pick pierced the demonstone, tearing away several large chunks of rock. Resting in the new openin was the green mask, embedded in a nest of rubble.

"At last." Kasei said with a hint of joy in his voice as he reached for the mask.

"Ningen Chant, Gekido Shindou!" OniYellow called out, smashing his Strong Hammer into the ground. The ground beneath Kasei's feet gave way as his fingers grazed the mask. Before the Kurayami could catch himself, Yellow was up in the air. spinning his YuraYura Kanabou in the air.

"ToguToguYura!" He chanted. The spikes of his club began to glow as they spun around the club wildly.

"Amakage." Kasei commanded, disappearing into a shadowy portal that enveloped around him. OniYellow landed hard on the stone floor, costing him his balance.

Kasei reappeared a few feet away in the same shadowy portal. "You just don't get it, do you." Kasei gloated. "You don't have any chance of defeating me."

"You're forgetting one thing." OniYellow chuckled. "Now I'm the one next to the mask."

"Ningen Chant, Nami Mahō!" OniBlue called out as she swung her staff upwards. A wave of blue magic shot across the ground, striking the armoured kagedoron. The monsters were enveloped by the blue wave, but it seemed to have little effect. The monsters pushed on, knocking the woman's staff from her hands.

"Kanpekina Odori!" OniRed shouted, flourishing his Skilled Sword. The blade lit up red as the warrior sliced at the golems. Their shadowy halves scattered, quickly reforming around the stones once more.

"Our attacks are useless." OniBlue said, bracing herself against her staff in exhaustion. "We must get away."

"Nowhere to run." OniRed panted, "Besides, Eiji is still below and we can't leave him here."

A wave of green energy erupted from the hole behind them, blinding even the monsters. Three figures flew out of the hole as the light faded. OniYellow carried an unconscious Tomoko in his arms as he landed back on his feet. Kasei fell several yards away, landing with a thud.

"Eiji?" The other two OniRangers exclaimed in both surprise and confusion.

"Eiji." OniYellow replied, setting Tomoko down. "Thanks for leaving us behind, but I think I can handle it from here." As he release his grip on the professor, something green in his free hand glistened in the light.

The other OniRangers looked at Eiji and then at Kasei, who was slowly regaining his composure. "No way, you didn't..." Hideo gasped.

The yellow warrior took a few steps forward. "Oh yeah, I did." OniYellow rose the green mask in the air. The elephant-like face on the mask pulsated with energy "Fukumen Change!"

Eiji's yellow mask dissolved from his helmet. Moments later, the green mask exploded in a burst of green light, enveloping the warrior's head. When the light faded, OniYellow was wearing the new mask on his helmet.

"No!" Kasei yelled, clenching his gloved fists. In a fit of rage, the figure disappeared in a burst of shadowy energy.

The red eyes of the Zou Mask flashed as Eiji charged at the Golem Kagedoron. An aura of green enery surrounded him as his speed increased threefold. Using his already augmented strength, he grabbed monsters and dragged them several feet before throwing them in the air.

"Zou Fukumen!" Eiji roared, tilting his head back. With a small flourish of his neck, The trunk-like details of his mask began to change, transforming into a gigantic, green, metallic elephant's trunk. The trunk whipped into the air, shattering the airborne monsters into orange dusk.

Not wasting any time, Eiji reached over his shoulder. "Phant Cannon." He commanded, purely on instinct. A large cannon appeared in a flash of green light, resting on the boys shoulder. The three barrels of the large shoulder-mounted weapon resembled the trunk and tusks of the large elephant head the base of the cannon. The faint sound of an elephant's trumpet could be heard as it appeared.

The teen spun around to face the remaining golem, gripping the cannon tight. "Zou Stampede!" He exclaimed as the three barrels began to charge. The cannon fired, pushing OniYellow back by at least a foot. The green beam of energy crashed through the monster, leaving nothing left.

Eiji watched for a moment, making sure that the monster wasn't going to reappear. "I am in love with this thing." The warrior declared to his cannon, patting the elephant head gently.

"Well...I guess that's that, then?" OniRed pondered, patting OniYellow on his free shoulder. "Good job, Eiji.I honestly didn't think you had it in you."

"Not yet." OniBlue warned, looking up in the air. "I sense something else, something big."

No sooner did the words leave her mouth when the ground shook beneath their feet.

"Guys!" Gin's voice shouted from the distance. He appeared from one of the tents that still surrounded the area, dressed from head to toe in spelunking gear. "I was just coming to get you!"

The Caretaker stopped short just in time to avoid a large crack that spit along the ground.

"Gin, get the professor out of here and make sure her team is safe." Hideo ordered, sliding his gloved hand across the blade of his sword. "I think Kasei left one more surprise for us."

Gin nodded and picked up the unconscious Tomoko and left without saying another word.

The large hole started crumbling away, becoming larger and larger as orange electricity crackled around it. From deep within the pit, a large orange ball or energy flew out. The energy grew in size, landing some several hundred feet from the site. The ball reshaped itself, transforming into a giant Golem Kagedoron.

"Oni Dai Henge!" The OniRangers exclaimed.

Their masks began to glow as the three rangers were enveloped by lights of their respective colors. Jumping into the air, the three balls of light flew towards the giant monster. The lights began to grow as they crashed back into the ground. As the lights faded, three new figures, standing as tall as the monster. The three Titans of red, blue, and yellow moved into battle stances, ready to strike.

"Let's not waste any time." Hideo commanded. Each of the large titans extended their arms as their gold masks slid over their metallic faces.

"Kage Gekitai!" They exclaimed in unison. From the center of the Titan's respective chests, balls of light began to form. Following the path their arms lead, the beams were fired towards the Kurayami, converging into a single beam right before it struck the golem.

The monster pushed forward, un-phased by the attack. The titans jumped out of the way before the monster's own attack could hit them back.

"I don't get it, not even titan form can take them out." RedTitan's voice echoed.

"Then it's a good thing I know what works." YellowTitan replied, taking a step forward. "Fukumen Elephant!" He exclaimed, as his chest flashed the brightest green.

The light began to take shape, forming a large, almost mechanical elephant. It was primarily green in color, with a long, silver trunk flailing wildly. The animal let out a lout trumpet, letting its appearance known.

"Ningen Gattai!" The OniTitan exclaimed as it jumped into the air. The elephant's body split into several pieces, forming armour around the Titan's legs, chest and back. The animal's trunk slid from its head, forming a sword and shield as it landed in the warrior's hands.

With a roar of determination, the Zou Titan charged at the giant golem. "Take this!" He shouted, slicing three times at the monster with his mighty sword. Chunks of orange rock broke away from the monster as it stumbled back.

Eiji took a few steps back, sheathing his trunk-sword back into the elephant's head. "Zou Stampede!" He cried out again. Green fire erupted from the elephant parts as they flew from the Yellow Titan's body. Reforming back into the Fukumen Elephant, the fiery creature charged at the orange golem, shattering it as the animal crashed through.

The three OniTitans watched as the dusty remains of the monster fell to the ground like snowflakes, fading away as they touched the ground.

With the battle apparently over and won, the group finally found their way back to the airport. Sanjo sat on an old couch by a table in the reception room, staring at the Kumo and Zou Fukumen that rested on the table. "Counting our own Fukumen, that makes five." She stated. "But we still have a long way to go."

"Speaking of which..." Eiji mumbled. He was half asleep on the couch, exausted. . "Can we go already?"

"Gin's just saying goodbye to the professor." Hideo said, glancing back at Tomoko and Gin.

"Really, you are more than welcome to fly home with us." Gin pleaded to his old friend. "There's plenty of room."

"I can't, Gin." Tomoko sighed. "I have to oversee things here. I've had a team check what was left of the caverns and there wasn't a trace of that weird stone anywhere. I have to find out why."

Gin nodded. "We'd like to know too. It would answer quite a few questions." After a moment he smiled and took Tomoko by the hand. The woman blushed a little but did not pull away. "You better head back to your team."

"You have a good team as well, Gin." Tomoko replied. "Don't lose them."

"Gin!" Eiji shouted, jumping up from the couch. "The plane is here, let's go!"

Gin sighed. "I don't think I could, even if I tried." The Caretaker smiled again as he embraced the professor and walked off.

The professor stepped outside, watching as the groups plane flew higher and higher into the air.

"You've done well, Professor." Kasei's voice echoed as he faded into view. "You put on quite the show."

"I held up my end of the deal, Kasei." Tomoko begged. "Now what did you do with my son?"

"Don't worry, he is safe." The white cloaked figure replied. "And he will remain safe so long as you continue to help me." He continued, removing a large, green stone from under his cloak.

-Fin


	14. Episode 13: Sanjo Falls

The Kurayami leader watched as ribbons of black energy swirled together. "It seems that I cannot trust anyone with the task of finding the Catalyst. Even Kasei is starting to disappoint me, choosing to focus on finding the Fukumen. The Ningen are destroying our numbers faster than they grow and the newly formed Kurayami are nowhere near as strong as their predecessors."

The black energy began to take on a new shape, flowing wildly like dark fire as it created a new form.

"How will this one be any different?" Ohjah hissed from the corner of the throne room.

"Every plan you've had as failed." Kibala interjected Why should we bother listening to this one?"

"Because..." The shapeless figure groan, it's voice that of a thousand Kagedoron which fought for supremacy. Without warning, two black tendrils shot from the form, piercing through Kibala and Ohjah before either had a chance to blink.

"Because it is time you two truly paid for your failures. This new Kurayami will require every bit of strength to accomplish its task."

The two cloaked Kurayami fell to their knees, watching helplessly as their dark energies were drained from their bodies.

"Do not worry, you won't be left completely drained," The leader continued. "But it should be enough to keep you from escaping the dungeons for a while."

The shapeless Kurayami began to glow a deep purple. Seconds later it took on a new form. It's left side was a twisted combination of green and black scales, partially covered by the shredded remains of a black robe. The creature's left appendage had formed into a large snake's head, separated by black fur along it's wrist.

It's right side was a disturbing mixture of scales and fur. A dark grey pelt hung loosely over it's shoulder, connecting to the monster's head – a mane of fur with a wolf's skull resting ontop of it. It's face was covered by a blank, white mask.

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A month had passed since the OniRangers found themselves in the dark green caverns. Hideo was finally able to catch up on his homework and even found time for soccer camp. Eiji was spending time with his dance group, having escaped Hideo's constant lectures about focusing on his school work. Life was slowly starting to return to normal, except for Sanjo.

Sanjo wandered the empty hallways of the Hikari Museum. It was Sunday, so the building was closed to the public. It was on days like these that Sanjo would visit the many exhibits to educate herself on Earth's history – but that was not the only reason.

The girl stepped into the small Ningen exhibit. The display had been relocated from the main showroom, in favor of a new showcase opening the next day. This small room was all that was left of her past life.

While Sanjo slept for a thousand years, her people slowly died out – an entire civilization of human forgotten by the passage of time. Even their very name all but a memory. In the modern language, 'ningen' meant human. Sanjo took pride in that fact – a Ningen's world, free of the Kurayami's hold.

Sanjo approached the remains of the large statue. She was sealed in that statue along with the Fukumen, sworn to protect the world should the Kurayami rise again. Now the monsters have arrived and the masks, scattered were around the world - a desperate attempt by Sanjo to free them from the Kuraymai's grasp.

The young shaman wiped the tears from her eyes. Had she caused more harm than good?

Gin entered the room, carrying a large box. "Sanjo," He beckoned. "Hideo just called. He is forcing Eiji to stay at the school with him for a study period. Did you want to go into town and pick up some decorations for tomorrow's opening?"

Sanjo turned around, pushing her thoughts away once again towards the next task. "Into town, by myself?" She hesitated. "What about you?"

"I've got to finish things here." Gin sighed. "You've been in town enough by now, you should be fine. Just remember to watch the traffic this time. Red means stop, green means go." Gin reached into the large box and pulled out a map. "Here, I've drawn out the route for you. It's not that far at all." Gin shoved the map into Sanjo's hands, along with a handful of money. "I've already ordered the decorations, just go pick them up. Thank, Sanjo!"

Sanjo was speechless as she watched Gin turn around and leave the room with out another word.

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Within minutes, Sanjo found herself roaming the streets of the city. In the past month the city flourished. Any damage caused by the Kurayami had been cleaned up or closed off.

She stopped at along a three-way intersection and scanned the small map. Even with a guide, the city was much to large for Sanjo. She wasn't even sure she was on the right street.

Before she had time to find herself, a strong gust of wind blew the map from her hands. "No!" She cried as she jumped into the air, her fingers grazing the paper as it floated from her reach. Sanjo swore under her breath. There were to many people around for her to use her magic in public – Gin had already warned her against freaking out civilians. She had no choice but to chase after it.

After several minutes she found herself turning into an alley way. "This isn't right." She whispered to herself. "It would seem that I am being lured."

"Correct, OniBlue!" The hybrid Kurayami spoke, its voice a chorus of thousands. It stood at the end of the alley way, surrounded by Kagedoron. The monster's arms were folded, with the map resting in his hand.

Sanjo stepped back and assumed a defensive stance. She had never witnessed anything like it – she could not sense this Kurayami at all. Even looking at the monster hurt her eyes – as if her mind was trying to block it out. What magic was this?

"Nin-Ningen Chant!" Sanjo stammered as she rose her OniChanger in the air. "OniChange!"

With a flash of blue light, the Ningen girl was transformed into The Mystic Shaman, OniBlue.

"Hmph." The Kurayami chuckled a thousand chuckles. "Get her." They spoke, commanding the Kagedoron to attack.

The shadow monsters charged at OniBlue. Even with the power of her Fukumen, she was still blinded by the presence of the monster. She swung her YuraYura Kanabou wildly at the drones. She needed to get to take down the Kurayami first if she was ever going to survive this.

"I don't think so." The monster mocked. The Kagedoron swarmed together, transforming into a large black ribbon of shadows. It struck OniBlue in the stomach, spinning her back into the alley in a wave of sparks.

Sanjo gasped for a breath as smoke smoldered from her tunic. Her transformation faded in a pale blue light, leaving Sanjo dazed and defenseless.

"H-How..." Sanjo gasped as she got to her knees. "Such strength...not..."

"Not possible?" The monster chanted. The wave of Kagedoron flowed around it, absorbing into its body. "WE are the Kurayami. WE were born from supremacy – many souls fighting for dominance. It is in our nature to do the impossible to survive."

The monster rose it's snake-hand into the air, ready to deliver the final blow. A large green beam passed over Sanjo's head, striking the monster in the chest. More sparks spilled into the air as the monster stumbled.

Sanjo looked back to see OniYellow standing in the alleyway, donned with the Zou Fukumen and resting the large PhantCannon over his shoulder.

"Looks like the party started without us." Eiji mocked. "Care to save a dance for me?"

OniRed jumped from the rooftops, landing beside Sanjo. "You're lucky we happened to be crossing by." Hideo said as she helped Sanjo get to her feet. "If Eiji never escaped from the study group, I wouldn't have chased him here. Are you alright?"

Sanjo, despite the haze in her mind, signaled she was okay with a nod. "Be careful...his magic prevents you from focusing."

"Well it's not effecting me!" OniYellow boasted as he ran passed Hideo and Sanjo. With a quick flash he switched to his default Fukumen. "Strong Hammer!" He exclaimed as he swung the heavy weapon at the monster.

The Kurayami's snake-hand struck the hammer aside and launched at OniYellow. The barbarian dodged the attack and swung again. The two parried each others attacks again and again, to the growing annoyance both parties.

"Enough!" The monster roared as another wave of shadows poured from him. The wave knocked OniYellow back with ease. OniRed acted quickly and pulled his companions up before the wave got any closer.

"Tactical retreat." OniRed commanded. The group ran back down the alley as the wave approached. "Kumo Fukumen!" The skilled warrior ordered as the orange mask flashed onto his face. A stream of webbing shot from the mask, attaching itself to the roof. Hideo grabbed his friends and leaped into the air, grappling them out of the wave's range.

"Ningen Chant: Gyakukave!" Sanjo chanted. A blue barrier appeared around the enterance of the alley, sealing the wave off from the street.

After a moment the group looked down, watching as the wave slipped back into the shadows. The Kurayami had also made a tactical retreat.

"Phew..." Hideo sighed. "Way to close."

"Are you alright Sanjo?" OniYellow pressed, holding Sanjo upright.

"I am alright..." The Shaman stated. With the monster gone, her senses were returning to normal. "We-We need to return to the museum."

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"Bravo!" The Kurayami leader praised. "Your trial run was a complete success. Who would have thought putting those two idiots together would prove this useful." The demon laughed, resting his shoulders on the silent Kurayami-hybrid.

"With Sanjo's magic disturbed by your mere presence, taking down those two Ningen mutts will be a piece of cake. We just need to give you a little more power.

"Power..." The many voices of the Kurayami repeated. From the many pews that surrounded them, hundreds of Kagedoron dissolved, melding themselves with the collective conscience of the monster.

Deep below the throne room, Kibala and Ohjah were slumped against the walls of the dungeon, barely surviving.

"Curse him..." Ohjah panted. "When I get my hands on him..."

"Give it a rest, Ohjah..." Kibala sighed. "It's useless." Her gloved had reached for the mask on her face. "I'm done playing this game." The mask slipped from her face and fell to the ground. "I've failed our lord. He will never be freed."

Ohjah looked up at Kibala, her face hidden by a mess of hair. "We will get our power, Kibala. Not just the ones he stole, but the ones the Ningen robbed from us all those years ago. We will be freed from this curse."

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"Tea?" Gin asked, holding out a tray to the rest of the group. They had reconvened in the deep basement of the museum. The group sat around the table, focusing on Sanjo.

The girl sipped from her mug and tried to collect her thoughts. "I can not describe it exactly." She tried to explain. "It was as if my mind did not want to sense the Kurayami. Instead, it overwhelmed my own senses the closer I got to the creature. It is not like any Kurayami my people have faced.

"Well I certainly got a good look at it." Hideo stated. "The monster was part snake, and part wolf. I've never seen one with two animal forms."

"I thought that tall creepy one was the Snake Kurayami?" Gin chimed in.

"Once, yes,' Sanjo replied. "And Kibala once embodied the spirit of the wolf. However their powers were sealed away in the final battle a thousand years ago. That is why they wear those cloaks, to hide the forms they were reduced to." The girl put her cup down. "Somehow, their remaining powers seemed to have merged into this...unholy creation."

Sanjo stood up and walked around the couch. "When Kagedoron become full Kurayami, one mind becomes dominate, absorbing the others to create a true conscience."

"But I heard a lot of voices coming from that thing." Hideo said. "What would happen is all the Kagedoron were...alive inside its head."

"Such a feat would require tremendous energy, that must be why Ohjah and Kibala's powers were merged – to create a container for all those dark souls." The girl grew pale with fear. "We...we must stop it as soon as possible."

"Hideo and I should search the city." Eiji suggested. "If it is still in the barrier, then it must be looking for the Catalyst or whatever."

Sanjo nodded in approval. "What ever it is planning, we must stop it before it decided to terrorize the city. I shall remain here and figure out a spell to counteract the Kurayami's magic.

Hours passed as Hideo and Eiji combed the city, with no sign of success. Sanjo sat alone in the museum's basement, the only source of light emanated from her small crystal ball. Something in the mystic tomes of the Ningen had to reveal a way to defeat the monster.

"Any luck?" Gin said as he stepped out of the elevator.

Sanjo sighed. The rooms lighting returned to normal as she broke her concentration away from the magic orb. "Nothing yet." Sanjo replied with defeat. "I have been unable to find anything that might shield me from the monsters influence."

Gin furrowed his brow. "There has to be something." He mumbled as he began to pace the room. "You said it overwhelmed your senses, but Hideo and Eiji seemed unaffected."

"Yes, but I do not know how." She repeated. "There is no Oni Chant that could cause a mental overload like that."

"Then perhaps it wasn't mental." Gin deduced. "Maybe it was channeled at something neither Hideo or Eiji have." Gin paced the room for a moment, then yelled in excitement. "YOUR MAGIC!"

Sanjo pondered on the idea for a moment. "Yes...yes it is possible. With the monsters impure magic, it could have tainted my own...which means..." Sanjo reached for the magic ball..

"Is there a spell that stop it?" Gin asked.

"Yes, but-" Sanjo was cut off by a sudden rumble coming from above. Immediatly, Gins phone began to ring.

"Guys!" Eiji's voice screamed from the phone. OniRed and OniYellow stood in the city streets. Eiji held his cellphone against his helmet as the two stared into the sky. Standing far from them was the Kurayami-hybrid, standing hundreds of feet tall over er the city "We've found the Kurayami. He's jumped right to giant form."

"I am on my way." Sanjo said, leaping from the couch.

"No!" Hideo ordered, grabbing the phone from Eiji. "There's no telling how his magic might effect you at that size. Eiji and I will Gattai and hold him back."

"Finally." OniYellow said as he began to stretch his arms and legs. "I've been meaning to try out this mask more."

"Oni Dai Henge" The two OniRangers chanted. They both rose an arm, revealing the Kumo and Zou Fukumen. As the duo began to grow, the large Spider and Elephant Kurayami flew around them.

"Ningen Gattai!"

The Titans bellowed. The animals broke apart, attaching themselves to the Titans like armor.

KumoRedTitan and ZouYellowTitan landed next to the large monster. The demon slowly turned its head. "You cannot stop us." The monster said, it's many voices louder and more aggressive. "We have all the power to stop you now."

"I'm really starting to hate this guy." Eiji said, unsheathing his sword. "Time to flex some muscle."

The large titan charged at the monster, slashing at the creature with his Trunk-Sword. The monster stood its ground as the sword sliced the monster open. Shadowy tendrils spilled from the monster and wrapped themselves around Eiji's green and silver sword. With a quick flick, The titan was thrown aside with ease.

"Foolis mutts!" The Kurayami chanted. "The reign of ALL humankind ends today!" Shadows spilled from the monster and flowed into the air. Like dark clouds, they covered the skies of Hikarienma.

The OniTitans fell to their knees as the black smog surrounded them. "W-What is going on?" Eiji gasped. The mighty warriors's mettalic bodies began to tarnish and rust as the mist surrounded them.

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Sanjo collapsed on the ground, screaming in pain. Her crystal ball fell to the ground. Shadows filled the magic ball from within, filling the orb like a dark liquid.

"Sanjo!" Gin yelled as he rushed to the girl's side. The girl gripped her head, trying to overcome the pain to her senses. "I-I recognise this now." She managed to wince before finally passing out.

Gin looked at the girl, calling her name over and over. Finally, he looked up at the ceiling, tears welling up in his eyes. "Guys...you better be alive up there..."

TO BE CONTINUED


	15. Episode 14: Smog

OniRed and OniYellow collapsed to the ground, their Titan forms shattered by the Kurayami's mysterious smog. The black smoke filled the city, as far as the magical Ningen barrier would allow.

"What the hell…" Eiji gasped as he tugged on the collar of his tunic. "I can barely breathe."

"It feels like I'm suffocating in this mask." Hideo said. As his gloved fingers pried at his red mask.

Towering over them, the large Kurayami stood silent as the magical smoke poured from its body. "More…MORE!" It mumbled over and over as the city grew dark.

"We've got to retreat for now." OniRed panted as he forced himself off of the ground. "Use the trick Sanjo taught you"

"R-Right..." Oni Yellow stammered. "Ningen Chant: Chirikumo!" With what little strength he had left, Eiji smashed his fist into the ground, sending a large cloud of dust and debris into the air. By the time the dirt settled, the OniRangers had vanished.

Gin placed Sanjo gently on the couch and began to pace the room frantically. "Okay, don't panic..." He whispered to himself. "Sanjo's down, the guys are who-knows-where and you have no idea what's going on. But don't panic."

"Who's got time to panic?" Hideo voice called out. In a puff of dust and debris, Eiji and Hideo reappeared. They looked tired – barely able to hold each other up. With their free hands, they held their respective Fukumen, unable to maintain their morphed state.

"Guys" Gin shouted with relief as he flung his arms around his comrades. "What the hell is going on up there?"

"Something big." Hideo replied. "We're going to need-"

"Sanjo!" Eiji cried out, rushing towards the unconscious shaman. "What happened?"

"I-I don't know" Gin said. "One minute we were talking, the next minute she cried out in pain and collapsed."

"It's probably because the Kurayami reappeared, supersized." Hideo deduced. "We all fell under its effect this time."

"But I'm okay now." Eiji said. "Why hasn't it worn off for Sanjo?"

For a moment, the room was silent as everyone tried to come up with some answers.

"The Ningen Chants..." Hideo deduced again. "Eiji, we can only use a few techniques, and only when powered by the Fukumen's Strength and Skill. "

"But Sanjo can use magic even without her mask." Gin said, continuing Hideo's train of thought. "Her mask enhances the power she already has."

"So whatever this smog is..." Eiji said, finally starting to clue in.

"It's effecting our Ningen senses." Hideo concluded. "And Sanjo is feeling the full effect."

"T-That's horrible." Gin sat down as he tried to take the new information in. "So...what do we do?"

Again the room was silent. Hideo circled the basement, watching the defeated looks on the other two's faces.

"I guess there is no point opening the new exhibit then..." Gin sighed. "Professor Sou will not be happy about that..."

"You know a lot of professors." Eiji groaned. "What does this guy do?"

"He worked with my dad too." Gin said. "Infact, he was one of the last people to see him before he..." he trailed off for a moment but continued. "Anyway, he sent over a few crates of some really cool artifacts he says come from his OWN ancestors."

"The Sou Tribe..." Sanjo groaned as she finally stirred.

"Sanjo!" The boys all cried out as they rushed to her side, helping her sit up.

"Are you alright?" Eiji asked, grabbing Sanjo's arm. "You're white as a ghost."

"I will be fine...for now." Sanjo said. She placed her other hand over Eiji's and tried to give him a reassuring look. "My senses are starting to adapt now that I know what we are dealing with."

"You do?" Hideo asked.

Sanjo nodded. "I was not certain at first but, now that the monster's magic is stronger, I defiantly recognize it. This magic was used many years ago during the first battles between my tribe and the Kurayami."

"That's not very reassuring..." Eiji said, standing up.

"Indeed it is not." Sanjo agreed. "Back then, before the barrier, Kurayami were capable of performing this spell with ease. It cost my people many lives. "

"But the barrier is supposed to keep the Kurayami's magic under control." Hideo pondered. "If they could do this the whole time, why wait until now?" 

"In one thousand years, I have yet to understand the minds of a demon." Sanjo replied. "But I know who did."

Kibala stood up, fixated on the energy she could feel above her. "This spell…So that was his plan."

Ohjah punched the wall in frustration. "How dare he use our power like that? Why did I ever agree to follow him? He won't even tell us his name."

"Do not be selfish, Ohjah. As the barrier above weakens, I can feel my body growing stronger – even in this drained state. I feel our 'leader' already knew this." Kibala opened her palm, letting a stream of dark blue magic flow around the two.

"And that it should be just enough to get us out of here."

The two began to chuckle wickedly as the magic enveloped them and they faded away.

-

The young warriors ran down the halls of the museum, heading towards the main exhibit. 

"And you're sure one of these boxes has the answer?" Gin panted as he tried to keep up. 

"If even one piece is enchanted, then I can access all we need." Sanjo replied. She still looked very ill, but kept pace with the rest of the group. "The Sou Tribe were meticulous record keepers." 

As the group entered the main room. Most of the artifacts had yet to be set up. As the group slowed down, their attention was drawn above them. Through the glass ceiling, the monster could be seen towering over the city. It remained motionless, letting the smog flow from its body. 

"Well we better hurry. The tree won't last long if we never see sunlight again." Gin joked, trying to keep the mood up. 

"Let us pray that this works." Sanjo stated as she rose Mystic Staff infront of her. "So that we may all see a sunrise tomorrow."

The shaman closed her eyes and tried her hardest to focus her magic through the curse of the smog.

"I'm using a simple detection spell." She explained. "The enchanted items should reveal themselves." 

Several boxes around the group began to glow. From each box, objects began to rise. Some were broken tablets, some were tattered books, yet some were as simple as an old toy. 

"Of the great warriors that fought in the final battle, only one of us was from the Sou Tribe." Sanjo continued. "He created magical weapons that we could use with our Fukumen. It was his knowledge that helped forge weapons such as our YuraYura Kanabou and this staff. But that is not all they made." 

The artifacts began to swirl around the group. Strange symbols began to float around them as well, flying around the room in random directions. 

"Can you read any of this?" Hideo yelled through the excitement. 

Sanjo was silent. Her eyes darted around the room, catching every symbol as it flew past her. "I have access to the Sou Tribe's lexicon...but it is fractured, incomplete."

"What about the section called "Stop the giant fog monster?" Eiji asked. "Is that still there?"

"I cannot…yes!" Sanjo gasped. The objects surrounding them crashed to the floor and the symbols faded away. She turned to face the group. "They are still here, which means I may have a plan."

-

Kibala and Ohjah appeared on top of a tall building close to the giant Kurayami. The two almost collapsed as they faded into view.

"This is your plan?" Ohjah hissed. "We are so low on power that even we are under the effects of this fog."

"Patience." Kibala retorted, staring up at the monster. "You will adapt. The closer we are to our own power, the quicker it will return to us. Just sit down and enjoy the show." The masked Kurayami chuckled to herself as she watched the three OniRangers run through the streets towards the giant monster.

The OniRangers skidded to a halt as they reached their destination. They looked as if they could barely hold themselves up under the pressure of the spell.

Kagedoron began to appear from every corner, forming a small army around the three heroes.

"Sanio, we'll hold these guys off." OniRed commanded. "Take position and prepare."

"Right." Sanjo nodded. With a wave of her Mystic Staff, the shaman struck a section of Kagedoron with her magic, clearing a path for herself to jump through.

"Y'know…" OniYellow said as he rested his Strong Hammer on his shoulders. "We don't stand much of a chance winning this."

"Since when are you such a downer, Eiji?" OniRed mocked as his grazed his hand against the blade of his Skilled Sword. "Haven't you learned anything about us yet?"

"Yeah yeah, I know." The barbarian sighed as he turned back-to-back with his partner.

The two charged towards the mob, raising their weapons high.

OniBlue made her way to the rooftops. She needed to get as close to the Kurayami as possible if her plan had any chances of succeeding.

She could feel the air getting thicker. Using her staff as support, she gradually made her way to the edge of the roof. She was almost chest level with the monster by now. "This will have to do…" She said aloud to herself.

The sound of footsteps caused the shaman to turn around. Surrounding her was another group of Kagedoron. They began to close in on her, leaving Sanjo with less and less roof to stand on. The warrior rose her staff, ready to fight to the death if needed.

A blast of dark blue magic dissolved the Kagedoron into shadowy wisps. OniBlue watched as Kibala and Ohjah approached.

"Did you just…save my life?" Sanjo asked, totally confused.

"Don't think too much of it, Ningen." Ohjah hissed.

"For now, let's just say the enemy of my enemy…can be a useful tool." Kibala teased.

"But isn't destroying the barrier exactly what you want?" OniBlue asked. "Why would you want me to stop it?"

"If we can't enjoy the victory ourselves, what's the point?" Ohjah laughed. "We aren't going to be the pawns in Earth's destruction – we will be the leaders."

OniBlue stood silent for the moment. "Now is not the time to question your actions." She finally said. "I will take of you two when the time does come."

The shaman turned around and looked up at the giant Kurayami. Throughout all of this, the creature still stood motionless, letting its magic to all the work.

Sanjo spun her Mystic Staff around her body, moving the weapon in intricate patterns. As it spun, the circlet's rings began to glow.

"Sou Chant First." She called out. "Kusarikeimusho." As a final move, Sanjo smashed the base of her staff into the ground.

The ground began to shake violently throughout the city. As OniRed and OniYellow finished off the last of the Kagedoron around them, they watched as the pavement at their feet began to crack open.

"Sanjo, what the hell are you doing?" Hideo yelled out, his voice drowned out by the loud rumble that filled the streets.

From the four corners of the forest that surrounded Hikarienma large, white chains shot from the ground. Guided by spell, they flew high into the sky, converging on the city.

"What did you do?" Kibala cried out, watching as the chains came down, wrapping themselves around the monster from head to toe.

"An old trap we had hoped to use against your master, before we sealed him away." Sanjo explained. "Those chains bind both body and spirit, sealing off the dark magic."

"But you're sealing in our power as well!" Ohjah hissed as he withdrew his sword.

"Sou Chant Second" Sanjo continued, jamming her staff into the ground again. "Joukakeimusho"

The chains that bound the monster began to glow white hot. From within, the monster could be heard screaming. Ohjah and Kibala also began to scream in pain, collapsing to the ground.

A pulse of white energy shot out from the monster, filling the city in a dazzling light. The light faded, falling from the sky light glowing snowflakes. The black fog began to dissipate, clearing the skies once more.

"She did it!" Eiji exclaimed. "I'm already feeling lighter." The yellow warrior began to dance around the street, hopping around the cracked pavement.

"Great, then you won't mind finishing off him?" OniRed pointed at the large Kurayami. The chains that bound it began to dissolve, disappearing in the same magical light.


End file.
